#living rent free... i hope to write at least a cute little one shot for them

[silverprism-s]

qpr sasushi thoughts... inspired by this post by @purrpurra i just imagine the three of them slowly growing closer, and like, suguru normally doesnt like to touch other people but bc satoru is always finding ways to touch him, he slowly got over it, and shoko sort of ending up close often, think like late night gaming on the (idk what console wouldve been available in like 2006, insert one here) and shoko doesnt even care about the game but somehow she resting her head on sugurus lap and satorus halfway laying on her legs as he complains about what suguru is doing in the game (they havent bought more controllers yet. or maybe the console cant handle multiple. will need research i genuinely dont know 😂) and they just sort of... fall into a habit.

both shoko and satoru loveeee to tease suguru and generally annoy him, either by constantly saying his name or poking at him/tugging on his clothes. not the hair, though. they learned to not do that pretty quickly. sometimes suguru sees those 2 share a Look and he just groans and tells them to quit it off before they even start. sometimes they listen sometimes they dont.

one day suguru mentions that a movie hes interested in is in theaters and both satoru and shoko are like. "okay??? what are we waiting for??? lets go watch?" so they all go watch it (awww cute dateeee) and have fun. except. both satoru abd shoko thought the movie was so boring. they exchange a look behind sugurus back and then start layin into him at the cafe they stopped at after the movie.

sat: "suguru is this rly ur taste in movies??"

sho: "yeah that was pretty lame. have you ever watched a real horror movie?"

sug: "oh god. seriously guys?"

sat+sho just snicker.

eventually shoko starts to just kinda wonder about what exactly suguru and satoru mean to her. her mother always used to joke about when would shoko finally find a good man to take care of her (why do ppl talk to preteens this way man i swear) and stuff like that but shoko has never really felt anything that could be romantic attraction, or so she thought, but she feels More about sat+sug, like. is that a crush? was she really "supposed" to pick one of them? the idea of that was preposterous to her, they were shokosatorusuguru. it couldnt be just shokosatoru or shokosuguru. didnt feel right, like there was a piece missing.

she admits the part abt not knowing what romantic love or a crush is like at all one day to sat+sug, while theyre walking down the halls of jjh, returning to the dorms wing. it wasnt anything special, she had rehearsed it or even felt that it was a big deal, until after she said it. suguru's smile is far too devious for her liking and she sort of glares at him while satoru is oddly silent.

sat: "what if we tried kissing?"

sho: "what? why?"

sug: "to see if you have a crush" hes smirking still. "you should kiss satoru first."

sho: the idea isnt bad but why is she kind of nervous now? "okay"

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Peach..

I miss him so so much.

Can you gush about Jimin ?

Love how you wrote about him.

Thank you so so much in advance.

Whenever you are free. No pressure.

***

Hi @misslauwie

When your ask came in weeks ago, something in my chest squeezed a little. Because god yes I miss him too. Sometimes it feels like the whole world is kinda 'off', like everything is 'wrong', like we're all stuck in a holding pattern of sorts... And for anyone who thinks that's too dramatic, no it's not. Look around you. The world is kinda fucked, and the reason is because Jimin isn't on stage right now seducing the crowd performing like rent is past due, dancing his heart out, and singing like the fallen angel he is.

It's hard for me to talk about him these days though... I mean, there's always so much to say when it comes to Jimin, but the words don't form quite right for me these days.

Is it alright for me to simply post some pictures I come back to when I miss him and jikook?

Assuming I have your permission, that's what this post is going to be about.

(they cuddle)

*

There's this one from his last live before enlisting. Bare-faced, in an all black hoodie and beanie outfit looking hot as hell. It's the way he's giving 'Korean skaterboy who moonlights as a hacker', but at the same time he comes across as responsible, capable, and real. Cute too.

But lol, maybe that's just what I see when I'm biased.

*

Who else gets stuck looking at his eyes?

There's always so much to say about Jimin because literally everything about him could yield its own thesis. From the range and depth in his stage personas; to how pretty his body features are, before they morph into something more... deviant; to his voice that polarizes and entraps every audience. There's so much to talk about when it comes to Jimin, but I keep coming back to his eyes...

*

(This gave you whiplash didn't it :))

He's always known exactly what to do and how to do it.

*

Jimin is giving 70s cult leader in this shot and it's a fave. He's too modest to ever ask, but we all know we'd join a commune for him if he pulled that zipper down a little lower.

Anyway. Does anybody know why he likes this pair of shoes so much? I've always found them a bit ugly, but somehow, he makes it work. And it's clear he likes them a lot since he wears them all the time. But like... why?

*

Another picture I stare at on days when I miss jikook jikooking, is this one.

It's the moon in the shot that does it. The lines and symmetry, the afterglow of the sunset, Jimin's wide curved back, Jungkook focused on him, Jimin focused on him too, the fact someone else saw them like this and took this picture. They could've been chatting about what they'd like to eat for dinner or some other mundane thing, but it's the care and focus they show for each other that comes through so clearly for me in this shot.

*

This one has a place in my gallery because it's peak jikook.

*

As is this one:

*

Anyway.

Down bad for Baby G.

Imagine if PJM2 has a track like Set Me Free Pt 2 + Tony Montana... imagine the cataclysm it will cause in k-pop, imagine the havoc this cutie patootie pie will cause.

*

Sigh.

*

One day, when I find the words, I'll try to write about all the ways he charms. I owe a kind person from Tumblr (KPFT) a post about him.

*

In 2025, he'll be a 30 year old man desperate to get back on stage. And lord, I just hope everyone is ready.

*

This is the last one.

I come back to this picture sometimes because back then, they really did just have eyeliner and a dream. He gave his all right from the start and has created life-changing art. It's endearing to know he's both a bit of a workaholic and can be lazy too... and to know he still sleeps the exact way - like this:

...and this:

..and this:

*

@misslauwie I miss him too. Also miss Jungkook and the rest of the tannies. For Jimin, it makes me very happy that at least, Jungkook is with him.

He'll be back soon. 💜

[thebroccolination]

THE EX-MORNING Q16: TWO EXES AND THEIR CAT DAUGHTER (and more!)

Welcome back, folks! After taking a break to allow KristSingto to focus on PeBaCa's "What A Concert," filming for "The Ex-Morning" resumed today with Q16!

And look who we have here~ Just a pair of ex-boyfriends put together by circumstances relaxing by the shore with their feline daughter.

[I love that she's Tamtawan's cat, and I've always known Singto as the Disney Princess of animals, but I guess Krist with his four cats at home became a cat whisperer over the past five years. Look how cute that photo is, man. I object. :'(((]

To my absolute delight, Tamtawan's cat Solsay seems to be a recurring character who actually accompanies them places! Which is absolutely wonderful because I plan to write so many fics that include this cat. For anyone who missed my other post about Solsay, she appears to live with the assistant director Meng and his partner Mild. She has an Instagram account as the character Solsay, so feel free to follow and get photos like that one above and these two:

[image source: @.solsay_and_the_gangz]

Okay, now! [knuckle crack]

Down to business.

Filming started early today, as usual, and didn't end until 10pm (usually they wrap around 9).

First, we got this shot in a parking garage on the left and what I assume is Pathapi's BMW in traffic on the right. Since it's Pathapi's career they're working on and Tam's returning from overseas, I figure they'll be mainly using Pathapi's car to get around.

Then we got to reunite with our usual crew suspects including Nidchaya, a personal favorite of the blog. <3

And man, check out the equipment!

I don't know much about filming tech, so I asked a friend (@sugamxnnie ) who knows more, and it seems like they're using very fancy toys.

Case in point:

My friend recognized the DZOFilm case as probably being a five-in-one lens set, which will set you back $11k.

And that little camera-looking thing hanging off the side of that other thingie? It's used for additional focus control and costs an eye-watering $5k.

I mean, I don't know what's normal to spend on camera tech on a series, and I imagine a lot of it is rented, but in any case, it's clear they're at least getting good equipment for "The Ex-Morning," which makes my heart happy.

Also, if you watch the compilation of clips below, you'll see this li'l sneak peek of Krist (and I assume Singto?) hidden behind the dancing goose stamp.

You can try to obscure them, but I know that nose. :>

Speaking of compilations, Krist made his debut on Singto's TikTok! He's only had it since January 2024 and hasn't posted to it much. Naturally, they ad-libbed a meme. <3

I do kind of need them in roles wearing makeup now, sorry.

All in all, it seems like it was a long, productive day, and I hope they're all fast asleep preparing to continue tomorrow with Q17!

That's all for today, as I take myself off to sleep as well in preparation for another production update. (And, like. Work.)

Special reporter Kiranokira out.

[macawritesupdates]

Aww, modern a/b/o fic is so good. Yuuji's kind heart is lovely to read about. I want to know who hurt Sukuna, and am I allowed to attempt murder on his behalf? I'll fight, I won't win, but I'll fight damn it. Pack dynamics when written well are a favorite or mine I remember when I first read a/b/o and getting super disappointed by the way most authors wrote an animalistic society with complex non verbal communication and scent markings without actually doing anything at all with the concept. I like the trope best when people explore the deeper world building aspects instead of just going for the sex. The sex is fun to read, of course, but come on, there's so much more to explore here. For long fics at least, one shots don't have to go in depth. I just feel like a lot of the coolest concepts get shoved aside and ignored, so it's really nice to read your work and get some fun world building and a look into social dynamics and the like. It's interesting to see Sukuna trying to hide his dynamic a bit like someone has tried to make him ashamed. looks to me like someone has treated him awfully and he's internalized some sexism because of that. poor guy I wonder if he might be projecting on Yuuji a bit when he accused him of stalking, guilty conscience perhaps or is Yuuji living rent free in his head causing him to pay way more attention to him than a normal person which makes him feel like he's seeing Yuuji more than he really is. … ok I might be trying to dig too far into this man's head. we're only on chapter two, lol. The bullies were kinda funny to me obviously I hate that Yuuji's going through that shit but knowing he's so much stronger than them and that this fic is about him ending up with the world's toughest omega makes their comments kinda hilarious. That cute baby faced alpha is ten times the alpha you are, and the only reason you don't know that yet is he just so happens to have incredible self-control. I'm so proud of his self-control. Yuuji holding on to his convictions because he's a good person with morals, not a hormonal beast makes me happy. I kinda wonder how Sukuna must feel watching Yuuji not react with violence if he's used to awful alphas who throw their weight around and bully others for dominance. How must it feel to meet an alpha who could be top dog but chooses not to because he's a kind person. Yuuji does not equate the ability to hurt and rule over others with a person's value, which must seem so strange to Sukuna. Maybe at first it'll make him dislike Yuuji even as it draws him closer. How long before Yuuji's kind heart starts to make Sukuna feel safe, how long before he's willing to accept that safety? It takes strength to reach out a hand to someone who's hurting, but it also takes strength for someone in a bad situation to grab on to the offered hand and accept that life can be better. I hope Sukuna finds that strength within himself. It's a very different type of strength than what he's used to, but it's no less important even if society doesn't recognize it as such. Again, the little pack moments were very sweet, and Yuuji's family time was beautiful. I love my grandparents so much. I'm happy Yuuji gets time with his grandfather even though his health is failing. There's that love but the dark knowledge that you might not have much time left together hanging in the background like a spiritual bruise. I'm glad Choso is there so that Yuuji doesn't have to go through things alone. … I feel like I've typed out Yuuji's name fifty times today good lord haha. Ah man, well, thanks for the new chapter it was lovely. I can tell already that this will be a new favorite fic of mine!

I'm glad you are enjoying this fic! I also like when the world has more depths and uses the scents/marking/behavior in the concept of a society and world c: Just being super animalistic can be fun, but it would make it hard for individuals I think to fit in ; w ;

I love writing time for friendships too! This fic focuses a lot on not just the romance, but also the family relations and friendships as I have more cute family moments planned, especially in the next chapter! Part of the comfort in this is showing Yuuji has all theses good supports in his life....

Which is going to contrast more as it is revealed what type of situation Sukuna is in as the behaviors you are noting are all intentional little gives! Want to be subtle until the revela for sure!

Thank you for the long comment! It is much appreciated!

[annathesillyfriend]

Anna's August Fic Recs

Welcome to my August fic recommendations masterpost!! This has been quite a busy month for me but I'm holding onto last weeks of freedom. I am trying to read as much before uni starts and I had a pleasure of reading some brilliant fics this month. I am so excited to share them with you all! I hope your summer is going amazing and to those, who have just started classes - good luck!

To all the writers - I love you and I appreciate you so much!

To all the readers - please, share the fics you read and love. The reblog really makes the change! It’s the least we can do to show our gratitude.

HOLLAND & Co.

✨ Tom Holland

revenges is sweet by @t-lostinworlds

series, social media au, college!au, football player!tom, fake dating, idiots to lovers, all of our fave tropes, i am invested in this series more than i am in my own life, it's just that good

sunkissed by @duskholland

one-shot, 18+, surfer!tom x lifeguard!tom, exes to lovers, h's great mind at its finest 👏

souvenirs of the heart by @veryholland

one-shot, brought me to tears no joke, such a beutiful story, mila did such an amazing job!!

heartbreak girl by @lauras-collection

one-shot, 18+, lead singer!tom, based on 5SOS song, this is so goooood 😫😫 this story lives in my heart rent free right nextdoor to laura!!

act 1: scene 5 and 6 by @youandtom

one-shot, best friends to lovers, helping tom with learning lines, i loved this very much!

happier than ever by @vendettaparker

one-shot, tom being the great lad he is comes to save an awful date and we stan

the trial of the eldest holland by @reawritesthings

one-shot, ex!tom, welcome to the angst town! this is so deeply heartbreaking but so beautifully written!

lucky to be in love by @hollandsvogue

one-shot, rose is going staright for my silly little heart :')

slide in by @uglypastels

one-shot, frat!tom, i fall in love with this story time and time again

white winged dove by @muhollands

one-shot, 18+, conuntry!tom, insert country boy i love you vine here (also, i'd like to take this moment to kindly invite you all to go through d's whole masterlist cause it's brilliant. this mj blurb has sent me straight to hell but it's so worth it)

abide by @hazofmyheart

one-shot, 18+, mob!au, tom x reader x harrison, this made me feel some type of way 👁👄👁

getting ahead of ourselves by @/hazofmyheart

one-shot, 18+, college! lacrosse player!tom holland x tutor!reader, this is soft, this is cute, this is hot, this is everything! 12/10 would recommend

✨ Harrison Osterfield

little lune by @dovenymph

one-shot, celebrating your birthday with haz, made me want a refund for my birthday cause it's so lovely 🥺🥺

it will come back by @greenorangevioletgrass

one-shot, part of the rich kid!au series, 18+, richkid!haz x richkid!reader x actor!tom, there are no words in any language that would let me express how much i love ava and this au

✨ Harry Holland

wild side by @softholand

one-shot, 18+, best friends to lovers, that trope was made to be written about mister harry holland, i swear

lost in your light by @spider-barnes

one-shot, 18+, best friends to lovers, bloody lovely 💛

falling in love at a coffee shop by @/spider-barnes

one-shot, college!au, oh to fall in love with harry holland at a coffee shop 😫

hope is frightening thing by @peterplanet

one-shot, writer!reader x first da!harry, her book gets a film adaptation and harry is being is wonderful self 🥰

my forever by @unsaidholland

blurb, talking about your future with him, it's just 🥰🥰

circles by @farfromharry

one-shot, rich kid!au, enemies to lovers, so wonderful!

MARVEL

🎂 Suz's birthday fics

this total babe @samwilsons-pillowpecs gave us four beautiful gift on her birthday! we adore you, lovely 🥰 these stories are all wonderful anddeserve their own category 💛

you're the glitter in the dark

one-shot, 18+, mob!bucky

if i could touch you...

one-shot, 18+, boxer!steve

love you in a thousand ways

one-shot, 18+, ceo!sam

miss your kiss

one-shot, 18+, biker!thor

🎂@rodrikstark ’s 1.5k follower celebration!

collecion of headcanons with our favourite marvel boys as well as some other characters, i bloody love them all but my numer one has got to be joaquin teaching you spanish 😌

✨ Sam Wilson

book smart by @indyluckycharlie

one-shot, librarian!sam x PhD student!reader, such a warm and comfy little story by my dearest cate who i love very much 😌

he we go again by @/xbuchananbarnes

one-shot, idiots in love 🥰🥰

adventures in babysitting captain america and winter solider by @princessmisery666

one-shot, reader takes the boys to disneyland and it's just so amazing!

stay awhile by @lacapucharoja

one-shot, black!reader, a saturday morning with sam 😌😌

slow motion by @ambrosiase

one-shot, 18+, sam in baggy grey sweatpants and no underwear, need i say more?

✨ Steve Rogers

bullies, bullied by @anika-ann

one-shot, my main babe is blessing us with protective steve and i love her 🥰

there's a peace in dreaming by @babycap

one-shot, i don't have the words to tell you how stunning this story is, please go read it

✨ Bucky Barnes

timer by @xbuchananbarnes

series, soulmate!au based on the movie TiMER (2009). i could go on and on about how incredible that series is but with dani it's a given, sooo 🤷‍♀️

the kids will be alright by @imaginationintowords

series, social media au, lawyer!bucky x interior designer!reader, single dad!bucky, single mom!reader raising their kid together as friends, also reader x clark kent. honestly this is one of my fave social media aus of all time. and it's got a sequel is coming!!

quick fix by @ocean-bucky

one-shot, tfatws!bucky x ofc, vidra is the queen of ofc's, you simply can't not love her characters!

grant (part 2) by @coffeecatsandsarcasm

two-shot, bucky's in a relationship with a single mom with a little boy, it's so soft, i love this little family!

before sunset, i fell by @buckysbiota

one-shot, modern!au, when i get drunk i get myself cake, when reader got drunk, she got herself a husband. a very fine husband 😏

alcohol you later by @/xbuchananbarnes

one-shot, is it the 4th of dani's fics on this list? yes, she's just that powerful

three flags up by @starbuckie

one-shot, 18+, campcounselor!bucky x campcounselor!reader, best friends to lovers, buck being a cute little puppy in love and i adore him very much

and he kissed me right there by @sunmoonandbucky

one-shot, veteran!bucky, age gap, this is so full of feelings and it's gonna steal your heart!

lost and found by @sunshinebuckybarnes

two-shot, neighbour!bucky, alpine being the matchmaker of the year and we love that for her

hazy dreams and good mornings by @angrythingstarlight

one-shot, 18+, firefighter!bucky, i think that's enough encouragement to read this gem 😏

✨ Joaquin Torres

red by @remmysbounty

one-shot, a truly exceptional story!!

hold my words, keep us together by @/xbuchananbarnes

one-shot, soulmate!au, just simply stunning!

✨Peter Parker

love lies by @rosyparkers

series, social media au, y/n is silk but peter doesn't know it, peter is spiderman but y/n doesn't know it, sarah is the brightest star in the universe and everyone knows it

sunset lovers by @duskholland

one-shot, college! au, soulmate!au where what your soulmate writes on their skin, appears on yours. i don't think i have to tell you that eveything written by h, my beloved is pure gold. the softest thing!

always waiting (for you to come home) by @peterbenjiparker

one-shot, reader comes to peter cause she needs him to patch her up after patrol, it's so funny and sweet and i just love it so much, m is the bestest!!

perfectly a little late by @/t-lostinworlds

one-shot, college!au, reader forgets about peter's birthday. or does she 👀 please, give a round of applause for this wonderful writer who's been feeding us so well this month 👏👏

this fic by @peeterparkr

one-shot, last kiss with peter :') nancy knows all the most beautiful ways to break someone's heart

the plan by @spideyyeet

series, aveneger!reader, reader likes peter, peter likes mj, mysterio shows up, lots of angsty things happen. it's so bloody good, my mates, go read it!!

burning red by @spideyspeaches

one-shot, avenger!reader who who describes people's personalities as colors, it's just a stunning story with wonderful writing and i love it!!

this fic by @mcumendes

blurb, peter brings y/n flowers and is very very adorable!!

kiss me more by @celestialholland

one-shot, first make out with peter and i'm just 😫😫 in love

the reveal by @cloudybarnes

one-shot, best friends!reader where she finds out about him being spiderman, so lovely!!

always by @ptersmj

one-shot, an absolutely adorable best friends to lovers moment

red-handed by @/vendettaparker

one-shot, stark!reader, morgan interrupts y/n and peter's alone time 😏😂

OTHERS

✨ Spencer Reid

as told by flowers by @reidingmelodies

one-shot, story about the progress of the relationship with spencer told by flowers (duh 😂), it's just wonderful!!

✨ Frank Adler

thnks fr th mmrs by @wiypt-writes

one-shot, 18+, reader goes to frank the night before his wedding, i love this with everything i have

will you hold on my love by @writerwrites

one-shot, don't come anywhere near this piece without tissues!!

✨ Ransom Drysdale

undercover boss by @chase-your-dreams-away

series, reader's working at drysdales' company and hooks up with ransom not knowing who he is. this series is so bloody good! i love the reader in here so much!!

a/n: if you catch some kind of mistake or if you see that i miscredited someone - please let me know so i can change that!

[wizkiddx]

Hiii I really love your work! Could you write about Tom secretly or not secretly watching yoi have a Zoom Uni class? And maybe he teases you in a way, trying to make you laugh or he sends you text messages or something? And later when you're done and he has a meeting,you tease him right back?

Hope you're having a lovely day 💞

a/n hey anon!! this was a really cute idea but I have another req for the vice versa bit, so only did the first half in this- I hope u don't mind :)

warnings: implied smut at the end but rlly just a fluffy cringe fest

////////////////////////////////////////

Early mornings where never you’re favourite and this one wasn’t an exception to the rule. The LA sun was flooding through the curtains that had been hurriedly thrown almost-closed last night as you huffed into the duvet. You needed to get up - but you definitely didn’t want to. To be fair, you’d only arrived the day before and were still acclimatising to the jet lag - though Tom’s presence certainly made everything alot easier.

Especially as you’d been without him for so long, the pandemic meaning you hadn’t been able to make the long-weekend trips you usually would’ve. So when at the beginning of may, Tom had offered for you to come out and stay with him for half the summer (while he was busy working). There was only really one answer…. free holiday with the absolute specimen of a human who you call your boyfriend? Yes please.

It did mean though, that you had flown out before the end of the semester. Only by a week and it didn’t make much difference because you only had a few zoom lectures - but they were compulsory. So even if you were living in the US, you had to follow your UK school timetable. Hence why you had to get up at 6:30, to make your UK time 14:30 lecture.

The arms around you seemed to have other ideas, huffing and only pulling you tighter when you tried to wriggle out of his embrace. You groaned in annoyance, mainly because he was making it more and more tempting to stay huddled up against him.

“Toooooommm I gotta get up” Clearly not agreeing, he just squeezed you to his chest tighter, whilst emphatically shaking his head - all with his eyes still firmly pressed shut.

“Let go! I have a lecture!” Still not letting up , he just shook his head once again - making his bed hair especially wild as it dragged against the linen pillows.

With a sigh you turned in his death grip, now being able to see his puffy morning eyes pressed firmly shut. First you arched up and pressed a soft kiss to his chin, then jaw and then nose.

“Seriously T, I need to show up to this one.” Because yes, you might’ve already had an absence from yesterday, where you had both slept through the alarm.

“-o it-’” Croaking so much so you couldn’t even puzzle out what he said, the man cleared his throat before trying again, the sound reverberating in his chest. “ uhmm do it from bed, don’t go.”

That had you pouting at his cuteness. Ever since you’d arrived he’d been unbelievable clingy to you, barely letting you out of his sight. You showered together; he sat and stared whilst you did your skin care routine; even at restaurants he insisted on sitting next to you with his hand on your knee. When you had asked him, the only reasoning you got was a shrug and a muttered ‘I missed you’. Never, ever would you complain about Tom’s attention. But…. you really needed to get to your laptop.

“I can’t babe thats not very profess-“

“-wont even be able to tell.”

As much as you tried, you couldn’t ever really deny Tom anything. Not when he cracked his eyelids open, revealing the softest warm brown eyes, coupled with a lazy smile. So yes, you ended up quickly getting changed into one of Toms old burgundy tops, running a brush through your frizzy hair and then clambering back into bed. You balanced your laptop on a tray on top of a box, so the angle was less obvious that your backdrop was a headboard. Instantly Tom had half-asleep turned over to lay his messy head on your lap. And with a half sigh half laugh, you logged on- once in the waiting room bringing a hand down to trail your nails through Tom’s hair which made him groan with delight.

It was all going so well too, up the point where breakout rooms were announced and you had to talk - your chipper voice and laughs with your course mates rousing Tom from his sleep. Every time he almost lifted his head into the view of the webcam, you were very quick to slam it back down, forcing him back onto your lap.

Eventually he got bored of the restrictions, as well as not being very into the history module you were all puzzling over- so slid out of bed into the shower. Once he was gone you did almost sigh in relief, you had thought that Tom in his friendly-idiot manner would end up getting you caught at some point. Especially as our relationship was so secretive, none of your course mates knew you weren’t single - imagine their shock if an a lister popped up in the zoom class.

But oh, the relief did not last long at all.

The issue was Harry had gone out for the day. It was just you and Tom in his fancy rented LA house. And, as mentioned, Tom was being clingy as hell. It couldn’t of been more than 20 minutes before the fluffy haired brunette was back in the room - pouting when he saw you still on the computer.

Even though you shooed him away, Tom just cocked his head to one side, a small smirk on his face. And you knew. You knew he was going to be a little shit. He slinked over the bed, perching at the foot next to where your feet lay.The warning look you shot him, metaphorical daggers coming out your eye did absolutely nothing - you watched his hand pin your right ankle down before stroking the sole of your foot. Familiar shivers shot up your leg and it took everything in you to not kick out, launching the laptop across the room as tickled you.

Soon though he stopped, you pulled yourself into a cross legged position, readjusting the laptop and trying to concentrate back on the lecturer. Seeing your disinterest, Tom hopped up off the bed and you thought he was leaving. But no. No you were wrong. He just stood at the foot of the bed, hands on hips as he appeared to listen intently to the lecturer too.

Clearly Tom was an actor, he was pretty good at accents. You should’ve known he wouldn’t be able to resist the impersonating your academic staff - who happened to have a strong Somerset accent.

Pretending to ignore Tom as he hunched up and widened his stance - to imagine the physicality of your lecturer- you narrowed your eyes at the computer screen. Then though, a deep booming farmer-like voice came out your well spoken south london boy - god you were glad you’d stuck the mute button on as soon as he had entered.

“And then as your reading in chapter twel-“

“And then as yowr readinf in chapter twelve….” Tom echoed the lecturer loud and proud, making it completely impossible for you to attempt to concentrate. As much as you wanted to be furious at him- well, all it took was one look.

He was holding his face in some sort of duck pout and all the movements were extra pronounced and exaggerated. You couldn’t help it- instantly you burst out laughing, having to turn off the video for fear of anyone noticing.

Seeing he’d got a rise out of you, Tom was only spurred on, continuing the dramatic acting with a new found confidence. That was until you got yourself under control, face turning like a switch from joy to fury.

“Shut the hell up!”

And he did, for a few minutes, whilst pouting like a told-off toddler. In a strop, he sat down, shoulders slumped at the edge of the bed. Oh how wrong your were, when you thought you’d won - with a satisfied smile concentrating back on the laptop screen. Just in time to hear the lecturer FINALLY starting to rounding up the lecture.

“Alright so next session we’re-“ Before he’d even stammered his way to the end of the sentence, Tom’s face had switched up once again - into one of mischief as he started crawling up the bed either-side of your legs. One strong arm reached out to touch the back of your laptop lid and before you could protest he was pushing it down, till it landed with a small ‘clunk’.

“You did not just do that!” Yelling at him, you sat up so now he was kneeling across your lap.

“But I just did.” He mimed a mic drop which had you cringing hard, staring at him in disbelief. Okay the lecturer was beginning to round off, but that conclusion could’ve gone on for 5 minutes at least!

“Oh you are so in for it Holland.”

You’d meant it as a threat, as a sort of ‘I’m-going-to-make-your-life-a-living-hell” but the bright eyed boy before you had other plans. Wordlessly he nodded, then placed your laptop on the bedside ; then pushed you down on the bed. His legs either side of you, his arms like rockets to pin yours either side your head.

“Ah but you see my love…” he tutted, with a wide smile, hhis breath fanning down onto you as he took your breath away. “That is exactly what I want.” Immediately his lips were on yours, the both of you fighting for dominance as you arched your head up to get extra purchase on him.

“I hate… I hate you… so bloody much” It was hard to talk when his intoxicating lips were moving against yours, melting away all your resistance.

“Hmmm… well its… its a good thing… that I love you.”

He was impossible and no doubt you’d missed the prep work for tomorrows lecture. But having him there, body pressed against yours, after months apart.

Well, you wouldn’t mind failing the module for him.

~~~~ let me know what you think <333~~~~

tag list : @thefernandasantana @lovehollandy12 @hallecarey1 @crossyourpeter @hollandfanficlove @msmimimerton @thegirlwiththeimpala

[ikeromantic]

Fake It Til You Make It

A Mitsuhide Akechi fanfiction - approx. 2200 words. This scene takes place post-romantic epilogue. Fluff and a little spice.

First: Mitsuhide and the Maiden

Previous: Adrift

Kyubei watched the innkeeper through narrowed eyes. Though the man was clearly nervous, he didn’t seem to be lying. His story hadn’t changed in the last three tellings, so either he was an accomplished liar or he was telling the truth.

“L-lord Akechi and the woman left with one of the Akechi warriors. Right after we saw the fire across the lake,” the innkeeper said for the fourth time. “Then the storm came and after that, no one saw him.”

“Do you remember anything else? Did anyone else come in after they left? Did you see anyone acting strangely?”

The man shook his head. “No, I mean, not really? Everyone was a bit strange after we saw the blaze. Wondering if Azuchi was still standing.” He frowned. “You think it might have been Lord Akechi? Him disappearing like that right after -”

Kyubei cut him off. “No. That was the work of the Mouri clan.” It wasn’t the first person he’d spoken with that suspected. And why wouldn’t they? Mitsuhide was only just back from his misadventure at the shogun’s side. An ally in disgrace. A man not to be trusted.

The worst part of all this was that Kyubei really had no idea what his lord wanted him to do. Should he quash the rumors? Encourage them? Mitsuhide’s instructions from his last letter said nothing about an attack on Azuchi - not like this - and nothing about disappearing. Of course, he pretended like he knew exactly what was going on. He had to, until he received additional instructions.

“So . . . am I free to go?” The innkeeper was frowning now. His nervousness replaced by a desire to get back to making money at the inn.

“For now,” Kyubei said. He gave the man a hard stare. “If I need anything else, I will send someone for you.”

The innkeeper bowed and left, leaving Kyubei alone with his thoughts. It really seemed that in the storm, his lord had simply vanished into thin air. And Miyake too.

Perhaps they'd left with Ranmaru, who was also missing. But if so, there would be a letter. A message. Something!

The castle staff had no idea where he was - they’d waited for him to return for hours. Miyake’s squad couldn’t find their commander either. Both men were expected.

And the chatelaine . . . his lady. Kyubei worried that he had failed to protect her again.

***

Morning came with pale light through a high window. It fell across four careworn, sleeping faces. Sasuke and Miyake lay in a tangle of blankets on the floor, and in a bed, Mitsuhide clung to his little mouse. He woke with the first notes of bird-song, but kept his eyes shut. He wasn’t ready to confront the strange world of 500 years in the future just yet.

His little one stirred in his arms as the sound of morning birds turned into a hum of outside activity. “Is it . . . are we really . . .” She opened her eyes and looked around Sarutobi’s flat. “We’re really here.”

Mitsuhide nodded.

“I want to be happy about it, but . . .”

He shushed her with a kiss. “It will be fine. Worrying won’t return us faster.”

She sighed and buried her face against his chest. “I know. I just hope everyone is alright.”

“They will be,” Mitsuhide reassured her. He didn’t think of it as a lie - simply an assumption he based on his past experience. Nobunaga would handle this threat as he did others that came before it.

And Kyubei would see to what the left hand needed to be doing.

Sasuke sat up, rubbing his face. “I apologize for the accommodations,” he told them. The same apology he’d given the night before.

“At least we had somewhere to sleep.” The chatelaine sat up and wiggled out of the blanket. “I should probably check on my flat and see if it’s still mine. If so, we won't have to impose on you a second night. Although,” she sighed. “I don’t have my ID or my keys or anything.”

“I don't mind,” Sasuke replied. “You are welcome to continue crashing here. Although, we may not be here for long. Weren’t there activities you wanted to do in this time? While you can?” His left eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly.

Mitsuhide gave her one of his slow, warm smiles. His fingers traced a path down her spine. “Yes, you did mention some things I would like to see, since we are here.”

His little mouse arched like a cat against his hand. “I did . . . yes. Alright. Since we’re here, we might as well try to enjoy it!”

Miyake rolled over on the floor and pulled the blanket over his head.

“I take it that means you plan to stay here for the day?”

Sasuke answered for the half-asleep warrior. “Actually, I would really appreciate it if Miyake would accompany me. I need to go to my university and make some arrangements.”

Miyake groaned and sat up. He blinked as his gaze went around the room, taking in all the strange objects. Finally, he settled on the ninja. “You need protection or something?”

“No. I don’t think anyone will attack me.” Sasuke felt around for his glasses and slid them on. “But I expect to be moving some heavy equipment in the lab. And I may have a friend who can help us out with those arrangements, if you're there to corroborate my story.”

“Corr what?” Miyake frowned.

“Authenticate. Like a two factor security key.” The ninja grinned.

The warrior looked to Mitsuhide uncertainly.

“If Sarutobi believes you can assist him today, then that is what you will do. I am sure my fiancée and I will be fine.”

The chatelaine looked less certain about this, but she nodded agreement.

The four of them took turns dressing in the ‘washroom’ to give each other privacy. His morning was one of surprise as the . . . toilet . . . squirted him with water. And warm or cold water came from a metal spigot at the turn of a handle too, spilling into a porcelain basin. There were more smokeless lanterns - electric lights they were called - and other wonders.

Had Mitsunari been there, he was sure the scholar could have spent weeks studying every device but Mitsuhide just needed to know how to use it.

In this place, he was the naïve child, and his little one, the wise teacher. Such a shift in their positions was hard to take. Mitsuhide didn’t think of himself as arrogant but this situation was humbling in the extreme. Thankfully, he managed to get through dressing and breakfast without any serious mishaps.

Sasuke and Miyake left to the university. The flat was silent in their wake. Mitsuhide and his little mouse sat on the edge of the bed. She was tapping away at a . . . tablet . . . to get access to her accounts. The electronic scroll was interesting, at least. With pictures and writing all lit up so you could read it even in the dark.

Mitsuhide stood and stretched, trying to get used to moving in his new clothes. They were Sarutobi’s and didn’t quite fit. He was dressed in a pair of pants that clung tightly to his legs and ended short of his ankle. The top was a soft weave, dyed black. It sported an odd blue character on it and the word Sonic. Sarutobi said the picture was a hedgehog, whatever that was.

He would have liked to wear something without a picture on it. He’d had the choice between this one and something with a lizard that walked on two legs and shot fire from its mouth. Those were the only two shirts the ninja had that were long enough to cover him to his waist. And there was no way he was walking around with a bare midriff. Even if his little mouse looked interested in the idea.

Her midriff was bare afterall, she’d laughed. And it was - sort of. She tied one of Sasuke’s shirts in a bow under her breasts and had a pair of his shorts on. Though Mitsuhide wasn’t familiar with the clothes of this time, he thought she looked like a child trying to fit into her father’s clothes. Endearingly cute, but ill fit. Some of the clothes they saw women wearing on the way in the night before would have looked much better on her.

She looked up as if she knew he was thinking about her. “Ok, I think we’re ready to go.”

“Where to, my love?”

“Well, first to my apartment. It looks like my rent payments have all been made. And the building manager knows me so I should be able to get a spare key.” Her smile was all relief.

They arrived to the apartment, a small space in a tall building that reminded Mitsuhide of a castle, if the castle was robbed of all charm and beauty. Her room was utilitarian and sterile, and while there was still the wonder of technology, he could see none of her personality in the space. He said as much.

“Hm, yeah. I didn’t really have time to decorate. The apartment came furnished. I moved in and then, well,” she laughed. “I ended up in Azuchi with you.”

Mitsuhide pulled her into a hug. “A fate worse than death, little mouse?”

“You know it wasn’t,” she giggled, laughing harder as he ran his fingers down her sensitive sides. Holding her like this felt like home, even if nothing else was familiar.

After several slow breaths, they let go of each other.

“I must confess, I cannot see you living in this place. It doesn’t seem very safe. And you don’t have much room for your sewing.” Mitsuhide couldn’t help but poke into her cabinets, shelves, and drawers.

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty small but it was a place I could afford on my own.”

Mitsuhide heard the pride in her voice. He smiled. “I can imagine you coming here, determined to make it on your own.” He turned from the cabinet he was inspecting to see her stripping off her shirt.

Her pert breasts were a pleasant surprise, but she crossed her arms over them as soon as she saw him looking. “I’m just changing clothes! I didn’t want to wear Sasuke’s basketball shorts all day.”

“Please, continue.”

“I - I can’t while you’re staring at me!” She turned so that all he could see was her back.

Mitsuhide laughed. “Are we not lovers? How many times have I kissed, nibbled, caressed every bit of your skin from head to toe?”

She shivered, skin dimpling with remembered touches. Slow, nervous, she turned back around. Her arms lowered, revealing her chest again. “You can watch if you want to.”

He wasn’t sure if it was nerves or mischief that made her voice squeak at the end. Either was amusing. “Mmm, I’m a lucky man to get a show.”

“You are,” she smiled. Her fingers went to the tie on the shorts. They fell away, pooling around her feet. Underneath, she wore nothing.

Mitsuhide sucked in a breath.

Her hips swayed as she walked to her wardrobe. She glanced over her shoulder at him and fluttered her eyelashes, trying to be saucy. The effect was a little spoiled by the blush that ran from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. From within the wardrobe she pulled out a little twist of cloth. It was light blue and made of some embroidered material.

He didn’t realize he could see her skin through it until she slipped it on, slowly pulling the fabric taut over her curves. Though she was technically covered, it was somehow more tempting than just skin alone. “What . . . is that?”

“Panties.” She giggled. Then she pulled out a matching bit of cloth and wrapped it around her chest. The rise of her breasts were restrained by this new piece of clothing as she reached behind her as if to tie it.

“And that?”

“My bra.” She turned right, then left, letting him get a good view.

The sight made Mitsuhide want to simultaneously rip the clothing off her and still enjoy looking at her in them. It wasn’t possible to have both . . .

“To be honest, it’s been kind of nice not wearing these the last few months. But I think I would feel weird if I didn’t wear them with my modern clothes.”

“I like them.” Mitsuhide smiled widely. A grin that brought heat to her gaze before she looked away, suddenly shy. He knew this ground well. Even here in a world where everything was strange, his little one was the same.

He stepped forward, reaching to cup her cheek. His other hand settled lightly on her hip, fingertips stroking the skin just above the fabric of her panties. She inhaled sharply, lips parting. Mitsuhide took the invitation.

The kiss was, at first, gentle and sweet, but the press of their bodies built heat between them. Their breath mingled, tongues entwined. Hands grasping, stroking, pulling. Tearing.

Mitsuhide stopped at the sound of fabric ripping.

His little one gasped and reached down to feel the damage. Her eyes widened. “You . . . tore my panties.” Then she started to laugh.

He laughed too. Never in his life had he expected a woman so wonderful. A woman he would want badly enough to - literally - tear the clothes off her. This kind of passion he’d always believed was fake. Yet here he was. It was unthinkable. Incredible. “I love you,” Mitsuhide told her, smiling so widely that it hurt.

“I love you too.”

She gestured to the wardrobe. "I should probably, you know. Finish." It took only a moment for her to shimmy into her own clothes. Then they headed out into this strange world that was his home 500 years after death.

Next: Kitsune's Day Out

[bukojuiice]

rose-colored boy

ೃ pairing: (eren jaeger x fem! reader)

ೃ  tags: college/modern au, fluff, humor, love at first sight cliché, mikasa is your cute little sister, armin, sasha, jean, and connie are your besties, and eren is a himbo who works hard and has terrible friends.

ೃ warnings: strong language and mild suggestive content

ೃ part 1/??? of my (eren x reader) college au!

ೃ word count: 3000 words

ೃ  my nav  →  my mha writing masterlist 

ೃ This is my very first snk x reader fic! so i hope you bear with some errors! qwq 

i’ve been following the anime ever since it was released in 2013, and this is the first time i’m  going to be writing for it.  this month’s manga chapter really took me out so why not channel my sadness thru writing an fluff! eren fic? 🤧 i hope you enjoy either way!

ೃ  please do reblog if you enjoyed!! (feel free to add tags too because i love reading them and my heart swells with happiness when people love my work!)

ೃ  in which (Y/N) (L/N), 20, still in school, and regretfully-unregretfully-her little girl scout sister's assistant, meets eren jaeger in an embarrassing too innocent door-to-door cookie sale whilst a humiliating party was going on.

cookies, suspicious maybe-maybe-not pot brownies, meddling little sisters and friends, “oh my god they were roommates” vine on replay 24/7, homework, tears, and fairy lights bring them together.

“I’m going to enter now.”

“Ahhh yes, please!”

“Shut up, please.” Eren muttered to himself as he tossed and turned around in his bed, but still couldn’t get to sleep. “When will they ever stop doing this?” Why did Eren’s next-door roommate and his girlfriend have to do this five times a day? They had a lot of stamina for 21-year-olds who didn’t have anything better to do.

Eren’s thoughts eventually brought him to his parents.

His parents- did they even exist?

For pretty much 14 years of Eren’s life, they had been out of town or out of the country. His older brother, Zeke, blonde, bespectacled, tall, and sometimes too far up his own ass older brother who Eren is able to confide in from time to time, recently got a girlfriend whom he’s hopelessly in love with (they’re even thinking about getting married which isn’t really a problem since the girl is genuinely nice to his older brother so Eren is good with her.), so… things in the family had been a bit rough and busy to say the least.

Communication with his parents wasn’t always the best.

Eren would study late at night back when he was seven, because no one bothered to help him with homework. Along with the fact that he wasn’t the brightest kid in class, and he knew that very well, but he had ambition and he was determined to make it big in the world. He focused more on sports, particularly Soccer in middle school and high school, and tried to balance that with his studies.  After being granted a Sports Scholarship from Shigashina University, Eren decided to rent and share a flat, living with his batchmates who he met at a mixer party (before Uni started as this whole meet and get to know each other kind of thing) and whom he was so quick to call his ‘friends’, just so that he could get out of the hellhole that was his own house.

But things turned out much worse than expected.

Eren thought that the ‘College Life’ was to focus more on pursuing your future career and make a name for yourself but… it was the other way around.

He thought that after Freshmen year, everyone would take things seriously. Sure, have some drinks, get wasted after finals, or have house parties from time to time. But he was unfortunately, dragged into the wrong crowd. After attending around 5 parties in the first few months of being generalized as one of the infamous and pompous freshman archetypes present in every university, he called it a year and spent the rest of his nights doing homework, projects, playing video games, staying at the school soccer field until 10PM while his roommates were probably smoking crack and not caring about the number of units they needed to take for each of their goddamn subjects.

 He was ~living the life~ and now that he regrets most of the decisions he made in freshman year, the only option that he has left was to wait until his third year and move to a different apartment.  

 Now, here he was, Sophomore year, nearing the end of the semester, and very much eager to get the hell out of here and also study for his upcoming finals on Constitutional Law II, as his professor, Mr. Erwin Smith, was going to throw hands if one of his students score below average on the exam.

 “EREN MICK JAEGER! BROOOO!” Eren winces when he hears the shrieky and annoying voice of his flatmate Thomas Wagner, calling out to him. “Wanna go and party with us?” Eren smiles halfheartedly, shaking his head, “Ah, no thanks. I have a game tomorrow and finals coming up on Thursday.” Thomas smirked and wrapped his arm around Eren, “Oh fuck that, live the college life ya spoon.”

“No, really I have to study.”

Thomas frowned and groaned, “Oh god, you’re such a killjoy. Fine, if that’s what you want. Don’t blame us if we tell you to buy some beer down the block.”

Eren cracked an obviously fake laugh and pushed Thomas away from him, “You’re an ass. That only happened once and that was when we first met. Don’t you even dare try to ask me to buy you shit again.”

“Woah. Woah. Woaaaaaah. That was a joke Eren. Loosen up will you?” Thomas raises an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by the brunette’s sudden aggressiveness. He hums Moves like Jaeger by Maroon 5 as a way to spite Eren whilst passing by him down the staircase.

The brunette shook his head, tying his hair into a bun carelessly and sprinting into his room without uttering another word.

Eren just wanted to study. He really did.

Instead, his roommates, all of them, mind you, were all partying in the lounge and the music was too loud and Eren was too annoyed.

They did manage to bring him out and make him stay in the kitchen where he mindlessly glared at anyone who came in. He sighed and tapped his pen restlessly amongst the insane amount of books on the table.

There was a knock.

His roommate, Floch, came in the kitchen with his girlfriend who Eren couldn’t even name with all the women he has brought into the apartment. She was hanging onto his arm and giggling. Floch’s eyes were red and his speech very slow and lazy. "Eren!" he said with a sly grin.

Eren raised an eyebrow, shooting him an irritated look. "What now Floch? Are you here to tell me to take a shot again?" The ginger-haired’s girlfriend giggled once again and kissed Floch’s cheek. Floch laughed and swatted her away, though he missed by a long shot. "Someone's at the door," a thumb pointing to the den. "wouldchumind ge'in it?" another giggle. The girl nodded sloshily. "Yesss! Erenieee get 'em door, please. Be a dearrrrr."

Eren frowned and stared at them menacingly, earning no reaction from the two as they were mad drunk. "You were just in the den," Floch’s eyes widened. "My lovey wovey-we was in the den?" His girlfriend’s mouth went into an O. "Di'nt notice tha'!"

Eren sighed and stood up. He miraculously got through the throng of bodies and to the front door. "Yes?" he called out exasperated, not knowing who was outside.

"Do you want cookies?"

Eren turned and looked to see a little raven-haired girl, a girl scout no less, a blonde-haired boy pulling on a trolley who looked significantly shorter than him, wearing rimmed glasses, and an overall appearance whom his “friends” would immediately label as a nerd they had to be a few feet away from if they saw him and lastly, a girl who looked very tired and very done with life.

Beautiful (h/c)-colored hair, her eyes looked like the starry night sky, twinkling as he catches her gaze and a smile that looked forced, but warm all the same.  

A girl who was just absolutely fucking gorgeous.

Eren was captivated. His heart was beating like crazy and he could feel his ears turn red. He would make a fool of himself if he looked red as a tomato right now.

"Um," The girl peeked inside and grimaced, squeezing the hand that was her little sister's shoulder and catching Eren’s gaze. "Mikasa, I don't think these kinds of guys would want cookies."

“Unless they're pot cookies,” Eren almost said. Mikasa pouted and widened her eyes at Eren.

The older girl crouched down and frantically covered her little sister’s eyes. "Nopenopenope, Mi, don't pull that on him."

"But (Y/N)!"

(Y/N).

Her name was (Y/N).

Eren smiled sincerely (for the first time today) and leaned back inside to the drawer by the door to grab the extra cash he and his roommates put there for emergency pizza and stuff. "You know what? You're absolutely brilliant at selling cookies. I'll take one."

Mikasa smiled back at him cheekily and tugged her older sister’s hand. "See, (Y/N)?! He wants some! Go get 'em!”

The raven-haired girl then turned to the blonde teen, practically jumping up and down. “Armin look! We sold another one!"

“We did!” The boy who was apparently named Armin, clapped his hands together, then gave the little girl a high five. “You’re a natural at this Mikasa!”

(Y/N) looked at Eren, then Mikasa, and sighed. She grabbed a bag from the trolley Armin was dragging around and pulled out a box of cookies. Eren grabbed them slowly from her, their hands almost touching as he gave (Y/N) a small smile. The (h/c) girl blushed lightly, though not visible enough for the brunette to notice.

"Hope to see you again!" Eren called out when the siblings said their thank you's and bid farewell.

And, this time, even for the slightest moment, Eren’s serotonin levels were going straight through the roof. His heart was still beating loudly, almost in sync with the trash music his roommates were blaring on the speakers. and for a moment, even just for a moment. 

He felt genuine happiness that he hasn’t felt in a very long time.

 The three of you continue to walk animatedly, now that the coast was clear and the guy from earlier wasn’t within earshot, your blonde friend just had to break the silence.

 Armin smiles, pushing his glasses up to the crook of his nose. “(Y/N), you did see how he looked at you right?” The blonde chuckles softly, catching his best friend off guard.

 You blinked. “Him?” You try to stop yourself from smiling, blushing profusely. “Geez Armin, I don’t even know his name yet.”

 “I’ll bet you 100 bucks that he goes to our Uni.”

 “Even if he does, it’s not like we’ll talk to him or anything. Judging from the place he lives in and the people he was hanging out with, we’re in two completely different worlds.” You shook your head in denial, holding Mikasa’s hand, your interlocked arms swinging playfully. Armin gives you a knowing look in response.

 Mikasa continued to wave back at the boy whom they had just sold cookies too. (Y/N) looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Wasn’t he nice (Y/N)?” Mikasa asks her older sister. (Y/N) returned her sister a small smile, “He was.”

 "I hope we see him again!"

"I'm sure we will."

 The day of Eren’s dreaded finals finally arrive.

He has prepared tirelessly for this. Hours upon hours of hard work. But, before he finally gets his well-deserved sleep, he has a few more hours to cram and absorb more knowledge for his exams.

So, what better way to do so than head straight to the library as soon as it opens at 6 AM?

This time, no one was going to bother him. No annoying roommates and no distractions.

Eren heads over to a table near the coffee and snack machines. He puts down his bag on a seat next to him, and begins to study once again. Looking through the course materials and the lessons that he still didn’t quite understand. Eren was so absorbed with studying and relying on his gut feeling that no other student in this university would think of going to the library at 6 AM on the day of finals… then he’s wrong. Very wrong. 

 “Sasha, should you even be eating mashed potato this early in the morning?” Armin asks the brunette worriedly, a huge tone of concern in his voice.

“Armin! Don’t chu worry! I ate heavy breakfast! Bacon, Eggs, and Toast! Did you not see me in the kitchen!?” She reassures her blonde friend, continuing to scoop up the mashed potato on a reusable cup.

“Liar.” Connie hissed, narrowing his eyes. “I was awake since 4 AM. Not once did I see you sneak into the kitchen until (Y/N) woke you up.”

“Atatata. Can we… stop with the negative vibes for a second?” Jean tries to become the mediator by holding his hands up against his two friends who were about to start an argument. “It’s finals week. We have to keep a clear mind, body and soul-“

“Jean, you know that’s BS.” You yawn widely, still practically half-asleep.

“Oh, come on! Can’t you just let me be positive just this once!? If we fail this exam I’m going to blame you!“

The five of you continue to talk mindlessly on the way to the library. Connie pushes the glass door open, very much excited to have this huge library all to yourselves.

Until…

There was someone already there.

Your eyes immediately come into contact with Eren’s. His radiant jade eyes staring into yours, mouth practically agape, his hands holding on to wooden chopsticks as the hot air of instant ramen breezes through his face.

“Oh?” Connie blinks. “Guess we aren’t the first ones here then.” He whistles.

“(Y/N)!” Armin nudges you in the arm in an attempt to tease you. “Guess your wish came true huh? We did see him again! By himself too!”

“W-what am I supposed to do exactly?” You turn to Armin, speaking in a hushed whisper.  

“Say thank you to him! Offer him to go on a boba date or something!”

“You got the Sasha seal of approval (Y/N)! He’s hot!” Sasha motions you a thumbs up and you can’t help but feel yourself already wanting to die of embarrassment.

The four of them slightly push you towards his table. With your friends cornering you like this, there was no way of escaping this.

All you had to do was talk to him and properly thank him for buying cookies from your little sister.

That was it.

No need for any extra ad-libs or poor and bad attempts of flirtation.

Just thank him (Y/N).

You can do this.

You breathe a hefty sigh then approach his table with confidence. The brunette continues to look up at you whilst turning the page of his reviewer that he wasn’t even looking at.

“Hi again! I just wanted to thank you properly for helping my sister and I, out the other day. Mikasa really appreciated the gesture you did for her, and she couldn’t stop talking about you to our parents since we saw you. You see, none of the other girl scouts want to be paired up with my sister because they think she’s an emotionless and monotonous freak. They’re really mean to her but she really wants to continue being a girl scout so my friend and I accompany her whenever she has to sell cookies!”

“It’s N-no problem!” Eren quickly replies, running a hand through his hair. “Why would they say such horrible things to your sister like that? Judging from the way she acted in front of me, she was quite the opposite. In a positive way of course! Those kids are just assholes who are intimidated because another girl their age is seemingly better than them.”

You giggle in response. “Thank you. I’ll tell Mikasa that you said that!” 

There was short silence for a few seconds until you realized that you forgot to say something. 

“Ah! I’m (Y/N) (L/N) by the way!”

“Eren.” He smiles, reaching his hand out to you for you to shake. You grip his strong and calloused hand firmly, and Eren could feel his ears turning red again while you were about to blush as red as a tomato.

You hear your friends snickering in the background and you took this as a sign to go back to your table. “I guess, I’ll see you around campus?” You ask, tilting your head. For, you actually really wanted to see him again after this.

“Yea! I’ll be seeing you!” He grins widely, watching you leave where he was seated. His smile then envelops into a frown as soon as you went away then he goes back to studying.

“(Y/N)! (Y/N)!” Connie whispers loudly, calling you over by waving his hand. Why was this dunce being so painfully obvious? “Ask him if he’s looking for an apartment or if he wants to live with us!”

“Already!?” You ask in disbelief, a bit shocked by what Connie had just said. He scoots to the left, as you take a seat between him and Sasha. “Guys, you’ve known him for like… 3 minutes. Only Armin and I actually interacted with him before this.”

“He has to pass the vibe check first.” Jean shrugs, sipping on an iced expresso. “But, yeah, he does seem alright from a few feet away.”

“Come on (Y/N)! Ask him!” Sasha nods approvingly. “It’s weird that he’s studying alone like this while we’re in another table trying to remain unaware that he looks lonely as hell.”

“UMmMM… maybe he wants to study alone because that’s the only way he can focus? That’s a thing that normal people do, Sasha.” You remark sarcastically, trying to think up of more reasons to not approach him again.

Armin clears his throat, “Look, (Y/N), it won’t hurt to try right? Besides, don’t you feel a tiny bit sorry for him? He does seem lonely and you do have a crush on him so… more ways to interact with him right?”

Your shoulders slump and you breathe a defeated sigh. “Okay okay fine.” You make your way to Eren’s table again but before you do, you turn to your friends. “By the way, I don’t really have a crush on him just yet. I just find him cute okay?”

“Yeah yeah.” They say in unison as you continue to walk back to the brunette’s table.

“Hi again Eren!” You wave and try your best not to fumble or look painfully obvious that you were infatuated by him. He looks up and you try your best not to smile like a weirdo.

“Hm?” He hums.

“Would you like to come over to our table and study with us?”

To be continued.

[chidoroki]

TPN - “Dreams Come True”

What better way to cheer up the TPN fandom after the second season’s final episode than with the special exhibition chapter finally being fully translated. I caught glimpses of a few pages here and there over the past couple months but seeing all the children live happily together in the human world in their own little village that they made close to Emma and Alex warms my heart. Of course I would’ve loved if we got to see more of the GP Resistance (because the anime denied us of them) but following the GF kids around the world as they experience their dreams is fair enough. We started the series alongside them so might as well finish strong with them too. I really loved seeing everyone grow up but no matter how old they get or how much time passes, I’ll probably never get used to seeing Emma without her iconic “63194.” It’s a bittersweet feeling for me, but her smiles bring me so much joy and I’m beyond happy that she accepted everyone into her life as they accepted her without her memories.

I haven’t a clue on how much time passed since everyone found Emma in ch181 to now, but seeing her call out everyone’s names is a little detail that I love so much considering she had no idea who anyone was at first. Trying to remember 60+ names doesn’t seem like an easy task to me. No doubt I was just as shocked as our girl upon learning these mere children bought a goddamn plane! We learn in a couple pages that it’s because of Norman’s company that they can afford it, but still, he’s like 15 or 16 now? He’s still a child! And I’m impressed! Not only at him, but that Oliver and Violet became pilots as well! It’s especially cute when you remember that Lucas gave Oliver a little toy plane during their time at Goldy Pond.

Speaking of GP, is it just me or does Emma’s current outfit resemble her GP one just a little bit? Sure we have no idea what color scheme this one has but come on, the short jacket, the dark shirt and jeans.. just imagine it! Jemima, Yvette, Alicia and Mark remade Gillian’s original GP outfit sometime before the Grace Field Raid arc (ch137 extra page) so I don’t doubt they could’ve done the same for Emma. Of course that’s just me being completely hopeful and missing the Goldy Pond arc to death but yeah! I’m also so happy to see Chris up and moving again! Seeing him wake up briefly in ch181 was nice but this is so much better. I imagine he and Emma have a lot to catch up on in terms of stories, with him being unconscious since ch105 and Emma not remembering anything.

But here we go, the original 15 escapees plus Norman, Phil, Sherry, I believe I saw Carol somewhere and a couple other random kiddos ready to see the entire world. They get to accomplish so much.. and in a single day too I believe? At least that’s what Phil and Alicia say a bit later about everyone’s wishes, but aahh what a lucky bunch. Hell, I’ll say we’re lucky readers too to be able to see such a great story. Can’t thank Shirai and Demizu enough y’all. I wish we got to see more of Alex though. He’s such a kind soul but I’m sure he’ll be just fine staying behind with everyone else.

This entire page where we learn about Norman as a CEO is gold. I still can’t believe this child successfully built up an entire multipurpose company not only to help their search for Emma but also because he didn’t want to live off the Ratri clan. I wish I knew about this last week when writing out Norman’s birthday post because hell yeah this deserves some praise! AND he managed to graduate school as well during all that! Well, by skipping grades which totally makes sense. I mean, if he managed to pass all the Grace Field and Lambda tests effortlessly I’m sure normal human world school was a piece of cake for him. Holy shit dude, keep on impressing me why don’t ya. Not only him but Nigel and Sonya too! I’m not surprised that Vincent helped out but I’m glad those two got a tiny moment to shine as well! Ray is another obvious choice when it comes to helping Norman, as they’re best friends and he’s always been good with machines.. but boy, I can’t take you seriously when you’re just sitting there unamused and eating chips! Hahah I love him so much! And the fact he replies to Norman’s idea with just a simple “kay” is an eternal mood.

Okay boys aside, can we talk about our fabulous girls now? Because oh my god, they’re so darn beautiful! They’re more fashionable than I’ll ever be and it’s so cute how they drag Emma along to take advantage of the 3-for-1 deal. But our girl pulls off that sporty look so well! (r.i.p. goldy pond outfit ver2.0). I’m not at all surprised that Nat wanted to go see the opera. That's perfect for him and I’d like to think the anime did something similar with that one shot we see of him in the human world. We don’t see him in a theater like this but to me it looks like he’s on the streets of Broadway? At least that’s the vibe I get from it. I’m sure there was something music related on one of those signs.

I can’t get over how adorable all the children look and how happy they are fulfilling their wishes, even if some of them aren’t as extravagant as others. Like eating a fluffy pancake and a ton of ice cream? We can do that whenever we want. But for these kids, it means everything and they absolutely deserve to experience such simple joys like that after all the harsh nonsense they’ve been through. I also love how Ray continues to be such a great older brother by still looking out for them too. The fact he remains completely unfazed by the haunted house is perfect. This boy has been haunted by his own nightmares and demons his entire life, there’s no way a couple of lousy jump scares are gonna spook him. Though I do find it funny that Alicia and Rossi still manage to get scared while Yvette is having the time of her life. I can’t help but laugh at Thoma’s “Shirai face” as well.

I find it interesting that out of all the different kinds of exhibits they could’ve shown us while Rossi visits a museum, they give us dinosaurs.. like that seems so silly to me. Y’all have seen several demons in your young lives already and yet dinosaurs manage to amaze you too? God these kids are precious. And then our boy Phil finally gets to see and ride a train! Just look how happy he is! The poor kid can’t even sit still he’s so darn excited and I can’t help but smile with him! Thankfully the anime showed us this too.

We eventually get to Ray’s wish and guys.. oh my fucking god. Tell me that this is not the absolute best and prettiest smile we get to see from him!! It honestly leaves me speechless okay? Ray never imagined he would ever get to see the outside world, let alone live past the age of 12, and yet here he is, seeing such a beautiful sight such as this, right in front of him instead of from inside a book. You can’t believe how happy and proud of him I am right now. Did you see how ecstatic I was when the anime kept Isabella alive? Multiply that feeling by ten and there ya go. That’s my level of happiness upon seeing my favorite boy smile like THAT! AAHHH!! That panel is gonna live rent free in my head until the end of time. I can’t get over how damn perfect it is. His smile is so pure and how he looks like he’s in complete awe is beautiful. He’s about to burst into tears and I swear I might do the same because I’m making myself emotional over this fantastic boy. Someone hold me.

No seriously, hold me because we’re about to get into some angst as we move onto to Emma’s wish. We all know that ever since 2039 her one dream was to ride a giraffe once they got outside, so here we are, about ten years later and the animals in question are within reach. Our girl should be totally excited, right? Ha, not quite.

That wish was something the old Emma wanted, but since demon god had to be such a bastard, this Emma doesn’t know what to think, let alone what to even feel. She hasn’t experienced the same hardships as her family. She hasn’t gone through hell and back while holding onto that one wish that would make all the suffering worth it. The amount of joy everyone else felt upon living out their dreams, she wonders if she would be able to feel it too.

They brought her here to make her happy, but is this truly want she wants as well? This is old Emma’s wish after all. What about her and what she wants? Could this wish make her just as happy as her old self? She knows her family is only trying to help, but seeing her doubt herself does a number on my heart. Even without her memories, she’s still the same Emma deep down, as she doesn’t want to disappoint her family. She spends so much time worrying about living up to her family’s expectations, to try and be that Emma they all love so dearly.

Little does she know that she acts the exact same as usual, almost as if nothing has changed when she finally expresses how much she wants to ride a giraffe. And that’s great considering when they first arrived at the giraffes, no on had even mentioned riding them. She came across that feeling all on her own and everyone else can’t help but laugh and feel relieved. Her mind may have forgotten but her heart remembers everything. There is no “old Emma” and “new Emma” to her family, just “Emma” and words can’t express how wholesome that is because they love her regardless. All that matters to them is Emma’s happiness because if anyone deserves to feel and experience that, it’s her.

I just made myself tear up, damn it. I started this series with season one okay? I heard about this precious girl’s dream within the first minute of the first episode and here I am, a little bit over two years later, finally reading about it coming true and seeing that bright as hell smile on her face. Do you know how amazing it is to come full circle like that? My heart feels so full right now. I’m beyond proud of her and love her to death. Say what you want but I believe this to be the true manga ending in my eyes.

(damn this series for always getting me emotional)

[buddyfromearth]

Object of Affection

For @gothamsworst​ because your entire penguin tag has put into me a great fire to write a sheepish significant other for him.  Mind you, I haven’t written fanfiction since high school so forgive me if I get something wrong (I’m still getting into DC and my parents think it’s embarrassing because I had a lobo phase out of high school.)

Notes: confessions of love; sfw (some slight implications at the end but it cuts off because that’s not going on this blog here); aw, gee, he brought a bouquet of flowers; hey who ordered flirting because here’s some; several headcanons in one go let’s go people; I can write pretty words I just mostly refuse to in favor of making it all comics instead; idea of flirting is just walking up with a bouquet and going “marry me”; I don’t know what I’m doing I’ve never written this guy before.

EDIT: fixed some things.

 Stuck between yearning for love and the fear of rejection was a difficult place to be. It was at least easier to know rejection than it was to have yearning for love going totally unanswered.  Oh, what pain it was. 

   Oswald Cobblepot, that troublesome Penguin known about Gotham as one hell of a man to cross, was madly in love.  Yes, an unfortunate feeling to have.  But he couldn’t help it.  Not this time, at least. 

   It was someone he’d seen around the lounge, lurking nearby where he’d watch the penguins. When he saw them around and was able to not make it awkward, he couldn’t help but stare at those eyes all green and deep like some dark thicket.  And those venomous eyes did plenty of staring back: he could feel their gaze fixated on him whenever he was working at the lounge. 

   Really, though, what did he know about this crush that had taken his entire heart by a single blow?  Well, he knew enough.  His eyes about Gotham told him that they weren’t much of anything besides a total hermit: mostly stayed home at a ground-floor apartment in a low-rent yet slightly decent part of town (as decent as the city could be, anyway), and had everything that was needed for living delivered to their door.  No car: only ever ventured out on a trike with a headlight on the front and a trunk on the back.  He wasn’t even sure what they did for a living. 

   At the very least Oswald knew he could find them lurking around the lounge.  So, that’s exactly where he went. 

   Of course, such an event was not something to go into completely unprepared.  He pulled out a nice suit, as usual, with all the fine accoutrements he was well-known for.  An umbrella in one hand and a large bouquet of bloody red roses in the other.  Even went out of the way to pick out cologne, albeit he preferred not to.  He wanted to make the best impression he could. 

   It was just that odd hour before the post-work rush.  Oswald hoped he’d not come in on a wrong night.  Trying not to draw too much attention, he made a long sort of awkward path over to where they usually were. 

   There they were, right at that surprisingly bare table he got used to passing by.  There was a pencil case pushed to one side, and it sat next to a tall glass of what he thought might be soda (of course, he wasn’t about to just try it: that would be a bit too much).  They were hunched over something in front of them, and their hands moved quickly with a pencil and a brush. 

   “Excuse me, my dear,” started Oswald, with a soft tone so as to not scare this beloved mystery away, “but is this table taking guests?” 

   They jumped.  Oswald feared he’d gone too fast.  Oh, wonderful, now he’d scared them off! 

   They looked up and met his eyes.  What was once a terrified look behind thick glasses quickly melted into something tender and rather curious.  “Oh.”  Their voice had an astoundingly flat affect, hinting at an origin out in midland farming country with the slight tint to it.  They cleared their throat, and moved their bag to the other side.  “S-sure thing, sir, sure.  Wasn’t expecting anyone to be over here tonight.  Normally people only ever come over to ask for free work from me.”  Their voice was soft and quiet as they spoke: an absolutely adorable sound that hit just right in his ears.  He could listen to it talk forever. 

   “Excellent.”  Oswald sat down directly next to them, putting the umbrella to rest on the seat beside him. 

   Their face quickly changed colors.  It went from a sickly pale in the lowlight to being absolutely taken over with blush.  “R-right, s-sure.  Please, forgive me for asking, but haven’t I seen you around here before?” 

   “Of course you would have seen me here before,” said Oswald, rolling his eyes slightly.  “I own this lounge, after all.” 

   “Oh, I…” They stopped for a moment, and their mouth was slightly agape as they appeared to slowly mentally register the weight of the situation.  Then their eyes shot wide open and they gave up a nervous smile with chattering teeth. “M-Mr. Cobblepot, sir.  I-I-I didn’t think I was something you’d… well, y’know, actually come over to see?” 

   “Quite the contrary,” said Oswald, moving in closer and putting an arm around their shoulder.  “You’ve captured my attention with how much you care about my darlings.  I see you in here and I can’t help but wonder if you’re some kindred soul.”  He gestured just slightly over at the centerpiece of the lounge, the namesake iceberg with a whole group of penguins he often spent hours watching on his days off.

   They looked over to where he gestured, and then they nodded quickly.  The nervousness quickly got itself out of that smile, and their entire posture melted into one of repose.  “Your penguins, right.  Right, the penguins!  Of course! They’re so cute: little communal flipper birds that just waddle around and honk and preen all day.”  They sighed and smiled, leaning forward and putting their head to rest in their hand.   “What I wouldn’t give for a life so carefree.”

   Oswald immediately had a few ideas come to mind.  Oh, he could take care of that: he could just bring them into his life and get them out of that awful apartment, pamper them with anything and everything they could ever want.  Ask them to move in with you.  Ask them for a date.  Ask them to share a drink.  No, no, no, that’s all too fast!  Play it slowly: perhaps they’ll melt into your arms if you go ahead just right.  

   “How often are you around here, hm?”  Oswald looked over from behind his monocle at this mystery figure that had caught his attention and proceeded to hold it in a vice-like grip, taking a moment to look at what he was dealing with.  Their figure was mostly obscured by big, bulky articles of clothing, but what could be made out was all thick and rolled together like some haphazard cake stacked up far too high for its own good.  It was very easy to look at.  “You seem to know enough about my precious little birds.”  “Perhaps a bit too much” was a phrase he wanted to add, but he wasn’t about to murder this feeling. 

   “I don’t really drink alcohol.  I only really come here to draw the iceberg and all the penguins,” said the mystery crush. “They’re so fun to smush together with their little shapes.  Their little flippers are so cute.  And their little feet are surprisingly complex once you get past all the flub and feathers.” 

   Oh, one of those artist types.  Wait, artist type.  Artist. Oh, this could be good: this could actually be really good for several different reasons!  Not just the romantic pursuit reason, either: perhaps their passion for the arts would include, somewhere in there, a passion for him. 

   “I see.” Oswald reached for the pad of paper they were so vigilantly guarding and said, “I can’t help but have a look at someone’s work regarding my darlings.” 

   A sickly pale hand with chewed-down nails shot over and clamped in on Oswald’s wrist. “Just a second there, Mr. Cobblepot. You have to promise me something first.”

   “Anything, my sweet, anything.” 

   “Don’t tell anyone what you see in this book.  It’s a lot of… well, it’s… bad.” 

   “Oh, I will most certainly be the judge of that.”  Oswald picked up the book, and then handed them the bouquet in return.  “Here, something for you to hold in the meantime.”

   Noting their shocked expression as they carefully took the bouquet in their arms, Oswald began to slowly browse through the contents of the book. 

   What they had said was indeed true: there were a lot of penguins in there.  They were doing all sorts of things: preening their coats, honking, spread out on their stomachs staring at each other, ambling across the ice.  They were all partway realistic, but there was some sort of fantastical flair to them. It was cute: just like them. 

   While flipping through the pages, though, he couldn’t help but notice other pieces. Things like the name of the lounge written out in poster type pieces with his penguins and their little iceberg on it.  There was, undeniably, a unique work of a penguin in a suit like his.  Curious, he turned the page. 

   And what he saw there surprised him greatly. 

   It was not only drawings of patrons with little notes about time scrawled around them that occupied the pages, but there were drawings of him as well.  Little notes here and there about the things he’d wear, the way he’d talk, and the way he moved.  Around one particular piece underlaid with purple markings was a portrait of him smiling: the note around this piece said “Handsome guy but who?”  It was surrounded by little scribbled hearts. 

   Oswald, in his stroke of peacock vanity that got to him every now and again, turned his head slightly as he was gently urged by these things.  “I see that you draw more than birds.” 

   The mystery crush looked over.  They caught a look of what pages he’d come to and they grimaced before sighing and hiding their face in their hands.  “Sorry about that.  I-I draw people a lot, just to stay aware of how to do it.” 

   “It seems you’ve become quite taken with me in these intimate studies,” said Oswald, casting a rather tempered gaze and a matching grin over at the object of his affections as he handed back the book.  “I must admit, I came here tonight thinking you wouldn’t reciprocate the feelings that brought me to you in the first place.” 

   “Oh, wow, feelings?”  The mystery crush smiled and chuckled ever so softly, rubbing their hand along the back of their neck as they took the book and put it back on the table.  “Goodness gracious, Mr. Cobblepot, I didn’t expect a gentlemanly type like yourself to be the romantic type.” 

   “Oh, but isn’t a gentleman always the romantic type?”  Oswald, emboldened by such a soft response, couldn’t help but to pull them in closer.  When they began to blush again, he grinned and pressed a gloved finger to their nose. “I can’t exactly help it.  And please, just call me Oswald.” He then picked up one of their hands and pressed a single, fervent kiss to it.

   “Ah, uh, I guess so,” said the mystery crush, “mister… oh, right, Oswald.  Right, first name basis now.”  Their face was getting hotter by the minute, and they began to stammer over all their words as they put the bouquet on the table.  “I, uh… would, would you be offended if I asked you something kinda personal?” 

   Oswald could already picture several personal questions and perfect little answers to go along with them.  He nodded and held their hands in his.  “Oh, but of course, my dear: anything you ask for, you’ll get it from me.” 

   “Oh.” The mystery crush nodded, their glasses falling down their face in the meantime.  When Oswald reached up and pushed them back to their previous position, they cleared their throat and quickly stammered out, “If you feel so strongly about me, would you mind if I moved in?  I, uh… they hiked the rent on my place again and I have to find a new one before the end of the month.  Don’t make enough.” 

   “Would I mind?  Of course not, dearest bird, of course not.  I have far too many places that need a colorful touch like yours.  You can come with me tonight, if it pleases you, my dear.”

   “You don’t have to be so heavy-handed with all the compliments.” 

   “Oh, but I believe you deserve every last one of them.” 

   “You’re far too kind.”  The mystery crush sighed.  “I hate to tell you this now, after all those compliments and affectionate talk, but I’m kind of a handful, I’m… look, I’m trans and if you’re not into a guy like me, I’m sorry.  I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m- I’m sorry.  We can just go away from this table and never speak about this again.  It… it’ll be fine if we do that.” 

   “Oh, now you just listen to me.”  Oswald put his hands to the mystery crush’s face and leaned it over so they were looking at him. “I don’t rightly care about whether you’re trans or not, and I’ll fund that for you so you can be happy.  You’re just far too pretty of a kindred spirit to be left so alone in such a big city.” 

  “I…” The mystery crush looked baffled. They froze for a moment or two, and Oswald wondered if he had said too much.  After a long silence, they sighed and smiled so big and soft that it couldn’t help but bring him to smile as well.  “Wow.  Thanks.” 

   “Oh, you’re ever so welcome, my dear.”  Oswald pressed his face up to theirs and quickly asked, “May I?” 

   “May you… oh, right.  Right! Yes, you may, Oswald.  You most certainly may!” 

   With that, Oswald couldn’t help but press a kiss to their lips.  Their lips were slightly chapped, and he couldn’t help but nuzzle his face just slightly against theirs in some affectionate attempt to bring intimacy to such a moment.  This move, while unexpected at first, was quickly reciprocated as their hands took hold of his shoulders. 

   Oswald pulled away with a troublesome little grin spread across his lips, and the object of all those affections smiled like this sort of intimacy was brand new to them. “I can’t help but wonder what your name is.” 

   “Look, my name is…”  They stopped for a moment, but then they smiled and just said, “Call me Lou for now. I can’t think of a name that belongs to me.” 

   “Then let’s find that out together.”  Oswald took his umbrella up and moved to stand, offering his hand to Lou.  “Come, I can have a crew bring your things to our home tomorrow.  Tonight, we shall simply be enamored little lovebirds.” 

   Lou laughed.  Their laugh sounded like the call of a bird, with its dragged-out syllables and its pitch. They snorted just slightly as they packed up their things.  “You’re very honest, Oswald.  I like that.  I like that a lot.” 

   “What’s a little honesty between significant others?”  Oswald smiled and shrugged his shoulders. 

   Lou put their bag back on their shoulders and put their hand in Oswald’s as they stood up.  They weren’t much taller than him, and those assumptions he had made about their figure were correct.  “It’s a lot. Let’s go.” 

   Oswald only put his arm around them as the two gently went hand-in-hand to where his driver waited. 

   “What are the plans for this evening, Oswald?” 

   “Oh, I do believe I have a few ideas beginning to come to be.  Just you be patient, my sweet, I’ll tell you when we’re alone.” 

[shhhlikeme]

“Light Work”

Hawks x Fem!Reader

-> 2.97k words 💘

The Secret’s Out!

Valentine’s Exchange Gift For Nicole💘💘💘 ( @vixenpen ) 💘💘��� love u!

Exchange Organized by The Lovely @ayocee !!! ❣️

Prompt: Hawks Valentine’s date that ends in smut

Warnings: 18+, sexual content, fluff + smut

A/N: This is my first time writing for BNHA!!! So cool - It was fun, hope it’s sufficient:)

Song: Unthinkable by Alicia Keys 

The chilled red wine cooled your warm tongue as you emptied the remains of your glass.

Licking your now red-stained lips, to get rid of the fogginess you blinked at the laptop screen in front of you. 

“Baby,” you called as you poured yourself a third glass. “Can you show me the sunset again?” 

Displayed on your cute laptop screen is a FaceTime call—one that you certainly could have answered on your iPhone but you needed the visual to be as big as possible tonight.

When your question reached the other side of the call, the screen that once showed you in real-time: the intensity of the Pacific ocean in spring from a birds-eye view, tilted like a rollercoaster. Then, your eyes were met with the awe-inspiring visual that is the Pacific sunset from the point of view in the centre of the ocean. It’s shot from a perfect perspective: a perspective too low for a plane to capture, yet too high for a boat to capture. It is a perspective only attainable by a certain pro hero of yours…

“Wow...” your lips moved autonomously, even before you had time to register the thought— but as are the effects of your favourite bottle of red. 

Your eyes bore into the gorgeous planes of the orange and pink horizon. You unknowingly let your cheek rest on your closed fist, soaking in the rarity of this wonder. Admiring it.

“You like it, beautiful?” Called a loving voice, taking you out of your trance for a second. 

“Of course.” You answered. 

“I—“

“Please. Don’t give me that cheesy ‘it’s not as beautiful as you’ line that’s it’s in every lame movie,” 

The soft joyous chuckle of your boyfriend’s laugh reverberated through the speakers, travelling right from his lips to your heart: effectively warming it in  its entirety. 

“I was actually going to say to say that I wish I could bring your tipsy ass up here.” He chuckled again. “This mission would sure be a lot more fun if your legs were wrapped around me. You know: pretending to drop you so you’d hold on tighter.... your ass in my hands...” 

“Hm,” you smirked, glad that your new boyfriend didn’t plan on giving you one of the cheesy lines most guys did. “I agree.” 

“Yeah?” Your boyfriend inquired, voice rising with interest. “You really are getting tipsy, aren’t you? Usually you’d kill me for even saying that,” 

“Well...Under these circumstances.. maybe I wanna be nice tonight....” you weren’t aware of the sexual innuendo entering your tone when you said that either.

But your boyfriend, however-- picked up on it right away. 

He bit his lip bottom. “...how nice?” 

“Hmmm… Nice enough to balance out the awfulness that is: my boyfriend having to leave me in the middle of our first Valentine’s Day date?” 

Hawks sighed. “Mmmmm I know. I know, baby, and I’m sorry….” 

You frowned. “Why are you apologizing? It was incredible while it lasted and we were able to get through most of it without interruption, so I have to be thankful for that knowing your job. Plus, It’s not like it’s your fault—“

“But I’m apologizing anyway. I wanted to finish the date and be there with you... I wanted to see your face when you saw how I decorated my apartment for you,” 

Your eyes left the passing sunset so that you could take in the over-the-top but romantic-as-all-hell way in which your man decorated his apartment for you for Valentine’s Day.

From where you laid atop the blankets on his King sized bed, you could see the shiny balloons everywhere; some on the floor moving around because the window is open and the air is blowing them slightly. You could also see the dozens of candle flames fluttering with the wind and making the room smell heavenly--you could also see the real rose petals everywhere, even underneath you on the bed, as well as the silver and red streamers on the ceilings that could not easily be reached by anyone but your Hawks. You smiled to yourself at the thought of your cooler-than-thou boyfriend sprinkling girly rose petals everywhere as your boyfriend continued speaking. 

 “--It’s annoying because this mission is not even anything big, either. Just scouting for Selkie while his crew is out. It’s shitty new Hero work, to be honest, but the kids are in final exams right now I guess. Either way, I’d much rather be finishing the amazing date I had planned with you. I mean at least I got to take you to that yakiniku spot, but—“

“—That food was amazing, though,” 

Keigo returned your interruption—though his voice dropped, speaking slowly. “—Your dress was amazing.” 🤤 he let out a sexily breathy chuckle, not missing a beat. 

Clearly, it had been something on his mind judging by how quickly that response came out. 

This time, when you heard your boyfriend’s sensually connotation chuckle; warmed more than just your heart. 

Acting on impulse, and maybe a little bit on alcohol, too, your hand not holding the wine glass fiddled with the end of the short but very expensive-looking dress you wore. It is a form fitting maxi and, yes, it is red. 

You made sure to pick a red that perfectly matched the colour of your Pro hero’s wings. Ironically enough, it matched the colour of the wine you’ve been drinking tonight too.

Needless to say, you ruffled Hawk’s feathers in the best way when he picked you up earlier tonight. He was practically salivating and if he didn’t have reservations you two would have never made it out the house tonight. You made him behave himself until after dinner even though you wanted to pounce on him all the same. The look of your man in a tux, God damn. The wait always made it better, though.

So you two did wait. And that ‘later’ that you two unspokenly promised each other over heated glances at dinner is…. now. 

However, this “now” had been tortuously ripped away from you both when your man got a Hero call just as he was simultaneously fumbling with his house keys and undoing his belt. You avoided pouting or crying about his departure by indulging in your favourite wine that your boyfriend had bought, the one chilling near the bed just for you two. 

“You liked it?” You asked about your dress, your voice matching the sensual aspect of Tamaki’s. 

Your man groaned through the speakers. “Your legs........your ass......” is all he answered before he fantasized over there,

You watched the screen as Hawk’s right-wing that was visible in the FaceTime: straightened. “God, babe...If I wasn’t on this mission...”

“—If you weren’t on this mission, what?” You inquired coyly, unaware of the fact that the hand of yours that was playing with the dress’s hem had now begun brushing your thigh, tingling your skin lightly. The tingling was only intensified by the breezy air that flowed through the opened windows in Hawk’s apartment. It was complemented only by the sound of the breeze that took up the speaker because the #2 hero was calmly soaring through the air. 

“If....” Keigo continued, “If I wasn’t on this mission staring at this fucking ocean.... then I’d....” 

Your fingers pushed your skirt up—just barely. 

“You’d...?” 

“I’d be staring at another ocean, one I like much more--tongue-fucking you so deeply you’d be pooling around me, babe. Just the way I like you to.” 

Your breath hitched when those travelling fingers on yours pressed against the outside of your g-string: prodding lightly against the fabric that covered the ocean your man was talking about. 

Upon hearing your breath hitch, the FaceTime video camera scrambled upward, your gorgeous boyfriend coming into view as he soared through the sky. Behind those transparent yellow goggles, his eyes were wide. Not because he was surprised, oh no, on the contrary: your boyfriend knew just how much you wanted him to make you scream tonight based on the way you looked at him over dinner...that wasn’t it. 

His eyes widened more out of jealousy: recognizing the sound of your impending orgasm—even if very far—as accurately as he can recognize danger on a Hero mission. “Aw, you gonna play without me, baby?” He sounded smug, not sad. 

“Call it getting a head start...” You answered quickly, knowing that your boyfriend’s mission shouldn’t last longer than a few hours. That just meant you’d be able to take a nap in between that would hopefully give you enough energy to keep up with your insatiable, sex-God of a man when he gets home. 

“Okay, beautiful. Then start.” He answered coolly—sexily. 

Your entire body responded in the feeling of increased sensitivity, irrevocably turned on by your boyfriend’s demands. 

And he knew that. 

You stretched so that you could set your wine glass on the bedside table, giving your man a great view of your ass in that red dress. 

The same red dress that’s been living in his horny thoughts rent-free for the past two hours. 

He groaned. “Do that again and I’m losing my job today,” 

You smiled prettily as you returned to the laptop camera, getting comfortable by suckling on your middle & pointer finger gently. 

“Shit, Y/N...I love when you’re eager baby,”

You nodded, staring at your boyfriend through the screen as he flew through the sky. You did this as you awaited instruction patiently. As always. 

Hawks, who had originally been using his back camera-only in order to avoid getting distracting from enemy-watch, tried to remind himself why he did that as he struggled to keep hold of his phone. 

On his end, the sight of you looking so needy and sucking on your own fingers so that they were wet when you plunged them into the heat that—just the thought makes him drool—proved too much for him. 

And you haven’t even started yet.

His dick hardened just from looking at you. 

“No, Hawks. Can’t.” Hawks mumbled to himself, obviously putting his phone back down and switching the camera so it wasn’t facing him again. You were met with the pretty water once encore, the waves now sparkling due to the warm sunset reflecting off of them. 

“I can’t watch, love.” Hawks stated, disappointment evident in his tone. “But don’t stop. Close your eyes and lay on your back.”

Fingers still in your mouth, you listened. 

“Spread those legs, baby.” 

You listened. 

“Hike up that dress but don’t.take.it.off. That job’s for me. You hear me?” 

You nodded, even though neither of you could see each other. 

Hawks, being the good hero that he is, used all of his mental strength not to peek. He had to complete this mission.

You always listened anyway. 

As always.

“Pull down the straps of your dress--just the straps. So that your tits are out. Are you wearing a bra?” 

You were going to move your finger to answer before your man did it for you, 

“Fuck, no you’re not...” he said in a strained voice. He recalled how your perky nipples pressed against the sinful dress’s red fabric in the car because you were cold. This was before Hawks had given you his jacket that you wore the rest of the night. “God imma lose this job....” Keigo muttered to himself, shaking his head. 

“Mm,” you answered around your own fingers. 

“Make small circles around inner thighs, baby. Right around the prize. Use the hand that isn’t currently filling-in for my cock.”

You moaned, doing just as he says with the visual of your man’s perfect dick replacing your fingers in your mind right now. You felt your pussy throb. 

Hawks inwardly cursed his job when he heard you moan, pleased with himself but subconsciously deliberating just how much shit he’d get in if he left this mission post right now... 

After a few minutes, when Hawks heard your breath pick up, triggering him to get harder, he licked his dry lips and said, 

“Mm, now move your thong to the side. Slide those fingers up and down your lips baby, the same way I do with my tongue. You know how.” 

“Mmff,” you moaned, eyes still closed and still licking around your own fingers. You pretended you were cockwarming the #2 hero’s heavenly length. 

“Good, baby. Now switch hands.” 

You listened immediately—using the soaked fingers in your mouth to glide up and down your soaking pussy lips. They slid even easier than your other hand did and since—in your head—those fingers were stepping in as your man’s dick, it somehow felt even more pleasurable than your other hand. 

You moaned, arching your back slightly. “O-oh,” 

Against his better judgement, Keigo was unable to stop himself from looking down at his phone when you moaned like that, immediately dropping the device when the sight of you running your hand between your pussy lips with that sexy dress bunched at the waist came into vision.

“Fuck,” Hawks cursed, flying down quickly to grab his phone just before it hit the water. 

He checked to make sure that him dropping it hadn’t disturbed you, and then he let out a sigh of relief when he realized he hadn’t. You were still doing as he said with your eyes closed, and obviously having a good time doing it too. 

Unable to fight his desire anymore, Tamaki’s eyes darted around, scanning the horizon and the ocean for anyone within a 100-mile radius. 

When he deemed the coast, quite literally—clear—he held his phone with one hand and stuffed his hand inside his pants, grabbing his overexcited dick. 

“Insert one finger baby. You pick.” Keigo directed--his own finger encircling the tip of his dick. He resisted a groan that begged to be released. 

“Good. Now, insert the other. No, nice and slow baby. Niceeee…. and slow,” 

You did--and he copied your movements, a sense of pride washing over him that he had such a beautiful, absolutely stunning lover. 

***

You listened to your man for the next ten or so minutes... trying your best to hold off your orgasm as your stomach coiled in the best way. The combination of your fingers; the sound of your man’s deep voice giving demands; the thought of his dick inside you instead; and the way that the wind entering his apartment via the open windows contrasted the heat of your wet vagina; wow…. all of it just felt too incredible. 

“I’m close, baby...” you whispered hastily. “Can I touch my—“ 

Just as you were about to ask if you could pinch your nipples in order to throw yourself over the edge, you were erotically surprised by someone--or should you say someTHING --doing it for you. 

Your eyes shot open, and then your back arched, even more, when you realized that the thing that touched you is nothing more than a red feather. 

It encircled your nipple pleasurably, another coming from the window and encircled the other nipple. 

Your toes curled. The feathers were the same colour as your dress. 

“Ahh, Keigo!” You moaned, not even waiting for permission before you sped up the pace of your fingers. Your eyes squeezed shut on their own fruition.

There was a smirk in your boyfriend’s voice. “I assume they’re there, baby?” 

“Ngh.....” you sped up the pace even more, your short fingers just barely hitting your g-spot; the g-spot that your man’s dick can always reach. You whimpered.

The feathers around your nipples whirled around your body whimsically, filling in for what your fingers were just short of in other ways: 

travelling down the line that centres your breast... 

tracing your neckline... 

moving down to encircle your ankles... 

“Oh my God, H-Hawks, yes-s, ah....!”

The soft-touch of the material’s feathers felt so good. No, they weren’t Hawks’ strong hands, and the two small entities just ghosted over your skin... barely locatable, but it is the fact that they were red and they were your MAN’s —your man who is physically cities away right now—that made this indescribably amazing for you. 

He is cities away: yet he is here. This is him. 

“Hawks…” you sighed, getting closer and closer, 

“Y/N....” Hawks sighed back roughly: deeply. 

Not that you could see but his eyes were half-lidded as he watched you get off. Seeing you be assaulted by the feathers he sent drove him absolutely mad. This had to be the sexiest things he’s ever seen from afar. 

“I love you, Y/N.” Your man said softly, biting his lip and forgetting his demands because right now he needed to cum. The sight of you like this was too much to bear. Hawk’s picked up the pace of his own hand on his cock. 

When the feathers returned to your nipples from your belly button, you let out a wanton scream moan, your white-hot orgasm ripping through your body as violently as the Pacific waves that were crashing underneath your boyfriend right now. 

Hawks’ orgasm followed soon after, your name falling from his lips as he just-barely pulled his pants down in time so that he released in the ocean instead of in his suit pants. 

You both calmed your breathing as you came back down to earth. The feathers fell next to you as if they were sleeping peacefully. 

After a few moments passed and you found the strength to open your eyes, rolling over to look at your Hero. He matched your semi-satiated expression so you could guess that he had found sweet release as well just now.

Keigo knew you well enough to know that you needed a nap at this time, just as you usually did post-orgasm. Therefore, he wasn’t surprised whatsoever when you whispered in parting:

“Happy Valentine’s Day, baby. Be home soon so we can do...this... in person.” 

“Of course.” Hawks answered. Then, he couldn’t resist adding a cheeky pun.  

🕊

“I’ll fly there if I have to.”

[pilvimarja]

Karate Kid/Cobra Kai survey

Thank you for tagging me @mochisquish @pinktintedmonocle and @iwonderifthatisart :)

It's the year 2021 and you're obsessed with The Karate Kid. How are you feeling?:  FANTASTIC! I haven't been this happy about a canon and the (Tumblr) fandom around it in years! I'm also still very, very surprised to be in a fandom for The Karate Kid of all things! If someone had told me even at the beginning of 2021 when I'd already seen some gifsets about Cobra Kai on my dashboard that I'd soon be obsessed with Daniel LaRusso and his pretty boy high school bully, I would have thought they were smoking the good stuff.

Did you grow up with TKK or are you new to the series?:  We rented the first movie from the VHS store all the time, but that was almost a decade after the movie had already come out, so the hype around it had died down and it was just a fun movie to watch.

We gotta do the basics. Favorite character:  It's so hard to choose, because there are days when I have so many feelings about Johnny that I feel like there's a physical ache in my chest. And then there are days when my heart is full for Daniel! But I think I'll have to go with Daniel, because Ralph Macchio was my first crush, ever :D And Daniel is so easy to love, such a good, easygoing boy who's also allowed to have flaws, which make him feel human and relatable, interesting to watch and read and write about.

Favorite ship:  Lawrusso! It's also my only ship in the fandom.

Underrated character: I say Bobby simply because I want more of him in future seasons! I love his friendship with Johnny and I think Johnny needs someone like Bobby in his life.

Underrated ship (don’t say therapy, lol):  I don't really have any shippy feelings outside of Lawrusso.

Wax On, Wax Off or Sweep the Leg?:  Wax On, Wax Off!

Which of Daniel’s dumb little outfits is your favorite?:  The one he wore in TKK2 in the scene where he almost skewered himself on that hook thing! It was one of his dumbest moments, but at least he looked cute :3

Character from the films you most want to return, who’s not Terry Silver: Almost everyone has already come back/is coming back, but I'd like to see Jessica from TKK3. The movie fumbled her character so bad that I'm hoping they can fix things with a CK appearance. I assume she's also the only person alive who knows at least half of what Daniel went through in TKK3.

Scene that lives in your head rent-free: Oh man, only about 90% of the canon! :D But okay, the final scene of s3 of Cobra Kai where Johnny appears in Daniel's dojo and they bow to each other and stand side by side as allies while In The Air Tonight plays in the background. They pack so much emotion and meaning into that one little bow and the direct eye contact, and it feels like the beginning of a new, better chapter in both of their lives.

Also the scene where Daniel watches Kumiko do her o-bon dance, the way they smile at each other melts my heart every time!

And the first shot of Daniel! He's such a sulky boy and that tank top is iconic and he's so devastatingly beautiful.

Will Anthony LaRusso ever be relevant?:  I think he'll finally start doing karate in s4, probably just to piss Johnny off.

You live in The Valley and are forced into the karate gang war. Which dojo do you join?:  Miyagi-do. I'm just not natural cobra material. And I think I'd enjoy Daniel's breathing exercises more.

What’s your training montage song?:  I Surrender by Rainbow. It's also the song I like to sing in the shower and torture my neighbors with.

It’s the crossover event of the century! Which TV show are you combining with Cobra Kai for an hour-long Saturday night special?: The Love Boat! Johnny and Daniel fall in love on a cruise to Acapulco :3

I tag @mimsyaf @crimsonandclover27 @trialnerror @twobrokenwyngs @heterophobicrichietozier @alienfuckeronmain

[edendaphne]

“Discordant Sonata”- Ch. 15

Have some quarantine reading material!!

>>Read it here on Ao3<< >>Read it here on Wattpad<< 

CHAPTER 15: BRAVURA

Music glossary:       Bravura - (from Italian “bravery/spirit”) Style of music in which the performer plays boldly, requiring exceptional agility and technical skill in execution.

 (Mood music: “For the Love of a Princess” - James Horner )

Sunday Evening

Marinette knocked on the guest bedroom door, or rather, on Chat Noir’s bedroom door, as it had now officially become.

“Come in! It’s open,” she heard from the other side.

Marinette’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Odd, she thought. For someone who was supposed to be guarding a secret identity at all costs, one would think that Chat would always keep the door locked. First the “bathroom incident” and now this? She wondered what his aversion to locked doors was all about.

Marinette peeked her head into the room and saw him at his desk, writing in a notebook.

“Hey Kitt–uhh, Chat Noir, dinner will be ready in a minute. Would you care to join us?”

Chat’s cat ears perked up. “I’d love to! Thanks! I’ll help set the table in a sec.”

“What are you up to?” she asked, sitting at the edge of his bed.

Chat swiveled his chair around to face her. “Oh, it’s...” he grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck to ease the stiffness there. “I was doing some calculations, figuring out a monthly budget and that kind of thing. Trying to figure out how much all my bills will cost.”

“Me-owch,” Marinette cringed. “Sounds suuuuper fun.”

“Yeah, definitely,” he replied with matching sarcasm. “It’s actually been more complicated than I thought.”

“How so?” she asked.

He let out a long sigh. “Well… this is gonna sound weird, but my father as a civilian is, uh… pretty well-known. There’s a lot of people who would recognize me. Any potential employers would be getting in contact with him, asking him questions, or even give him an idea of where to find me. So I can’t apply to jobs as my normal self.” He ran his gloved hand through his hair in exasperation. “But where could I possibly get a job as ‘Chat Noir’?? ‘He’ can’t start a bank account, has no birth certificate, driver’s license, address, phone number. I’d have to get hired under the table, but I might run into some shady people. They might take advantage of the situation, and there’d be nothing I could do to contest them. Or they might try to use me to get free advertisement, and then my father would know where to find me anyway. Ugh, it’s all just a mess,” he groaned. “Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. I’m sure I’ll figure something out, so don’t worry.”

Marinette hummed, thinking. “Well, actually…” she said, tapping her chin. “Since the school year’s starting up again, a couple of our full-timers are switching to part-time to accommodate their university schedules; so the bakery will need some extra help. Obviously you wouldn’t be able to work at the front of the store, attending to customers and whatnot. But there’s still cleaning, washing, and heavy lifting that needs to be done behind the scenes. So if that sounds alright with you, we can talk to my parents about it. I’m sure they’d be happy to have you aboard.”

“Really??” Chat’s head shot up and he chirped excitedly, accidentally dropping his pen in the process. “Th-that would be great! I’ll work really hard, promise! Are you sure it would be okay?”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll say yes! My mom’s already taken quite a liking to you; she’s always talking about how polite and sweet you are.” Chat’s ears perked up and his cheeks reddened upon hearing this, which she found much too adorable. “And I’m sure my dad’s slowly coming around; I can tell, even though he’s stubborn.” She reached over and squeezed his hands. “I’ll put in a good word for you,” she said with a wink.

“You will?!” he replied with a laugh. “Best job reference ever!!” He hopped out of his chair, then bent over and wrapped her up into a tight hug. “You’re the best, Marinette. Seriously.”

She shook off her initial surprise and squeezed back, smiling wide.

“Anything for a friend.”

Dinnertime went over even better than Marinette had hoped. When the subject of a job was broached, Marinette’s mother took to the idea immediately and, citing the need for some extra muscle, eventually managed to win over her father.

Thus, they hired Chat Noir on the spot for part-time work, adding a few extra household chores in lieu of charging him rent. Marinette could hardly contain herself when she saw Chat’s face as he heard that; he looked like he’d won the lottery. And if anyone else had noticed how his eyes got misty and his voice began to quiver as he thanked them, nobody had mentioned it.

After dinner, Marinette invited Chat Noir upstairs to her bedroom, saying she needed help picking out the perfect outfit for her first day back to school. Truth be told, she really did need to choose an outfit; but it was mostly an excuse to hang out with him and serve as a distraction from his stressful circumstances.

Behind his cheerful smile and never ending stream of jokes, he always carried such a lonesome air about him. She’d never noticed it until that first night; the night they danced during the ballroom akuma attack. Or rather, she’d never allowed herself to open up to the possibility that he might be suffering. It would have made fighting him much more difficult had she known.

But as they swayed to the music that night, she could feel the melancholy in his voice, how it seemed to be yearning for more, and she couldn’t ignore it anymore.

It was shocking to her; mind-blowing, even. Not the same shock as one might get from a slap in the face, but rather like she’d woken up from a deep sleep. And yet, even then, she never could have anticipated how things would’ve unraveled from that day forward. They had come a long way, and there was still much more ahead of them.

In any case, he was sure to appreciate an evening goofing around with his new roommate, to get his mind off of both his superhero problems and his civilian worries.

“So, what do you think?” she asked as she peered into her closet. “Classy? Trendy? Girly? Vintage? Boho chic?”

Chat furrowed his brows, cocking his head in uncertainty. “I dunno… You’d look great in anything! Just close your eyes and grab something, and voila!”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “What if I grab my fuzzy, pink bathrobe?”

“You’d look great in that too! ‘Comfy chic’, the newest trend on all the cat- walks!” he grinned cheekily.

She rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, you dork, be serious! I wanna look good!”

“But you already look good!” he said, lifting his arms and motioning up and down her entire length for emphasis. “You’d even look good in a burlap sack. I mean it! You’re really cute, Marinette! Besides, it’s not like you need to impress anybody. Everyone already loves you.”

She felt her cheeks warm up at the praise he gave so freely. “I-I… th-that’s sweet of you to say. B-but I wasn’t trying to fish for compliments or anything. I just… want to look a little extra nice. Maybe even stand out a little bit, that’s all,” she added more quietly, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

Chat paused and forward on the chaise. “Hang on,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her. “Marinette... ARE you trying to impress someone? Someone special, maybe?”

Marinette made a startled noise that would best be described as a squawk and whipped back around to face the inside of her closet. “Uhh, NOPE! Nope, nope. Not at all! What makes you say that?!”

Wow, Marinette, very convincing, she groaned inwardly.

Despite her stammering and weak attempts at protesting, Chat exclaimed with a gasp, “So there IS someone!”

He hopped off the chaise towards her, trying to get a peek at her reddened face. “So who is it?? Would I know them? Are you in the same grade, or just the same school? Do they already know you like them? How did you two meet?”

Marinette let out a long screech, rushing away from the closet towards her vanity desk and plopped down on the chair, dropping her head onto the table with a small thunk.

Chat practically glided across to where she’d sat and put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently. “Our little Marinette has a crush on someone~!” he crooned in a sing-song voice. “That’s so romantic! You’ll invite me to your wedding, won’t you?”

Marinette let out another long, muffled groan, which only spurred him on, becoming giddy like a small child who’d been given a pile of candy.

He’s never going to stop now that he knows, is he? she bemoaned, cursing her inept, awkward self.

Foregoing any further attempts at denial, she decided to just be honest with him. After all, Alya knew about her crush, and so did her other gal friends. She could confide in Chat too; especially since they were going to be living with each other from now on. Surely there was no harm in him knowing. It’s not like he’d go around blabbing it to anyone. She knew him better than that.

She sighed heavily, not bothering to hoist up her head, which felt like it weighed as much as a boulder at the moment. “He’s a classmate,” she replied in deadpan.

“A classmate, huh?” Chat repeated, voice full of wonder. “That’s so adorable! What else can you tell me about him? Is he cute?”

“Gorgeous,” she replied, with perhaps more emphasis than she intended. “And thoughtful and gentle and kind. A little awkward and nerdy, but friendly and optimistic to a fault. He’s practically perfect. At least, perfect in all the ways that matter to me, anyhow. I’ve known him for a few years, and I’ve been in lov– I MEAN… I’ve had a crush on him pretty much since we first met.”

Sensing her shift in tone, Chat dropped all the playfulness in his voice and asked in earnest, “W-wait… D-did you say… in love?”

Marinette let out a long, pitiful whine, grabbing the hair by the sides of her head and covering her face with it like a tent, trying to hide her eternal shame.

“I can’t believe I just said that…” she moaned wretchedly, very much wishing she could shrink to the size of a mouse right now. “Can you just cataclysm me and pretend you didn’t hear that, please?”

“Wait, so that means…” Chat interrupted, his brows scrunched. “He doesn’t know how you feel about him?”

She shook her head, or rather, kind of shuffled it back and forth on the table’s surface. “I’ve always been too afraid to say anything to him. I never wanted things to become weird between us, so I’ve always just… not taken the risk. He always just kinda… seemed to need a friend more than he needed a relationship, y’know? And I didn’t want to take that away from him. From us.”

Chat paused for a moment, pondering her words. “But what if he feels the same way?” he countered. “Wouldn’t you rather get it off your chest and find out for sure?”

Marinette hesitated, turning her head sideways. “Have you ever liked someone you were too afraid to lose?” she replied quietly.

She could hear Chat’s breath hitch, but he didn’t respond. She wondered if that was something he’d been worrying about as well. He’d never confessed to Ladybug about his own crush; but was that merely due to shyness, or from not wanting to complicate their relationship and their duties as superheroes? Would he jeopardize it?

Chat was a romantic at heart; of that she was certain, judging from his taste in media and books, from their late night conversations, and especially from what Plagg had told her a few days ago.

However, despite his playful flirtatiousness towards her as Ladybug, he’d never verbally expressed any serious interest in a romantic relationship. She could only assume he wanted to keep things as friendly and professional as possible, in order to work on strengthening their relationship as a team, instead of risking a fallout.

Or, at least, that’s what she’d started to tell herself. Everything in her brain was a terrible jumble. Especially after hearing about Chat’s family situation the night before, after the akuma attack. Ladybug had finally learned about Chat’s mother, Hawkmoth’s wife, and things were way more complicated than she could have ever imagined.

Chat Noir had introduced a variable of unpredictability in her life, and she was still trying to sort out her own growing feelings towards him. Were these merely feelings of protectiveness, or was it something else? Had she been projecting her desire for Adrien onto Chat? She didn’t think so, and yet, she’d never experienced anything like this before. How could she know for sure?

Unrequited love felt awful, but at least it was fairly straightforward. Trying to figure out her thoughts and feelings when adding another person into the jumble was frustratingly confusing.

In addition, Hawkmoth’s cruel words from the akuma attack echoed in her head despite trying to dispel them countless times. They resonated within her, trying to worm their way into her brain to plant undeserving guilt and shame. Accusations of taking advantage of Chat; of blind infatuation; of festering doubts and lack of trust.

Not to mention the elephant in the room: the giant, seemingly impenetrable wall of having to hide their identities from each other, which prevented them from being able to grow closer.

Pursuing a romantic path with him right now would not be prudent.

Especially since she was still in love with Adrien.

UGH. She was in love with Adrien. Why had she allowed herself to fall for him?!? Why did he have to be so darn wonderful, so awfully talented, so ridiculously considerate?!

The uncomfortable feeling of embarrassment slithered down her spine once again, traveling all the way from her head to her toes. How could she possibly face Chat Noir now that he knew what a coward she was?

Moments passed and neither of them had broken the ice. She supposed she should be the one to do it, since she was the one that had made things awkward in the first place.

Before she could say anything, however, she felt Chat’s hands settle on her shoulders, and he gently pulled her up into a sitting position. He gazed at her reflection in the mirror, a kind smile painted on his handsome face that she couldn’t help but feel her face flush. His emerald green eyes were so piercing, so sincere, which caused a multitude of butterflies to swarm in her chest despite her having banned them.

Bringing his arms in front of her, he draped a colorful garment across her collarbones so it would cascade all the way down to her lap. Apparently she’d been too busy internally freaking out that she hadn’t even heard him rummaging around in her closet.

“How about this top?” he asked softly. “The cut of the neck will draw attention to your jawline, especially if you wear your hair down, so the sides can frame your facial features. And if you wear this necklace here-” he said as he lifted the accessory from her vanity table, “-it will emphasize your blue eyes very nicely. For bottoms, I’d either go with some dark-wash skinny jeans paired with low heels, or a skirt with a bright pattern and some close-toed flats. Keeping it simple is best, in my opinion. Clean and sophisticated.”

Wait… what?? How did he–

Marinette hadn’t even noticed her jaw had dropped until Chat closed it gently with his index finger, her teeth coming back together with a soft clink.

“You should ask him out. This mystery person,” he added. “You never know what’ll happen. He’ll either like you back, or he won’t. But at least you’ll know, and whatever happens afterwards, it’ll mean you can move on.”

She held the shirt in place with her own hands, but never broke eye contact with him through the mirror. “Would you do the same?” she asked quietly.

Chat looked away, cheeks darkening. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed deeply. “Someday, perhaps. But… I’m not ready yet. Maybe once I become a better person. Somebody worthwhile.”

She turned around to face him, studying his expression. A weight settled uncomfortably in her gut, urging her to fix it, FIX IT!!

But fix what?! Fix it how?? She didn’t know; but she had to try regardless.

She stood up, setting the garment down on the chair, then practically stomped over to him. Chat looked a bit taken aback at how close she’d gotten, his eyes widening in confusion. She threw her arms around his torso, pulling him as close as physically possible without literally merging together. She laid her head on his chest, relishing the sound of his heart thumping in his chest.

“You dumdum. You’re already amazing. Anybody would consider themselves lucky to be loved by you.”

She felt him freeze up, unsure of what to make of this sudden and almost aggressive display of affection. But a beat later he relaxed, practically melting into her embrace and hugged back just as tightly.

He laid his own head on top of hers, a motion that still felt so comforting and so familiar; and yet she couldn’t figure it out. Whenever she would come close to making a discovery, the thought would slip away, as if by magic.

Or, come to think of it, most likely because of magic. His mannerisms and speech were so familiar, and yet she couldn’t place where she knew them from, or whom they matched up with. Chat had said that they knew each other outside of the costume, so surely that was why they felt so familiar. But the glamour of his miraculous was quite efficient in protecting his identity; therefore, despite teetering at the edge of her recognition, she still could not identify him. She supposed that was for the best, even if it was maddening.

“I wish I could believe that. I really do,” he murmured sadly, interrupting her train of thought.

She nuzzled her head into him. “Stop being so hard on yourself. Life doesn’t revolve around achievements or some arbitrary measurement of greatness. Being you is enough.”

“I... don’t really know how to stop thinking that way, to be honest,” he said with a shrug.

Marinette let go of him and took a small step back, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Well, it’s too bad you don’t have a choice, then. ‘Cause from now on, you’re officially enrolled in the Dupain-Cheng self-esteem boot camp, where you learn to be nice to yourself… or else, I’ll kick your ass!” she said, poking him lightly on the chest.

His eyes popped open for a moment, then he threw his head back and laughed. “I believe it!” he said, squeezing his arms around her once again. “I’ll do my best to meet your expectations and avoid all the ass-kicking, sensei! Bring on Du PAIN!”

She let out a snort and giggled, looking up at him from her lower height.

Her gaze softened once again, then added, “By the way... thanks for your help, and for your advice, Minou.”

Chat chuckled at the term of endearment, and Marinette’s brain froze.

How could she forget?? Again. She wasn’t Ladybug right now. Marinette didn’t have nicknames for Chat.

Before she could backpedal, Chat leaned down to kiss her forehead, then replied, “Anytime, Mari.”

She relaxed again and gave him one last squeeze, unable to contain a giant, satisfied grin.

She released him so she could return to the task of getting ready for school tomorrow. She asked, “Will it really be okay for you to go to school? Won’t it be risky, since your father will know where you are?”

Chat let out a thoughtful hum. “He’s a pretty powerful person, but even he can’t walk into the school and drag me out of there in front of everyone. I should be okay, as long as I’m always around other people.”

“Well… if you say so,” she said, crinkling her eyebrows. “You’ve got my cell phone number, so call me if anything ever pops up and I’ll be there in a jiffy, no matter where you are.”

Chat smiled at her fondly. “Thank you.”

She smiled back. “Come on. Let’s go watch a movie downstairs. It’s our last day to be certified couch potatoes and I’m not gonna pass it up.”

Chat winked. “Aye aye, Captain Spud! Lead the way!”

(Mood music: “The Chairman’s Waltz” - John Williams (Memoirs of a Geisha OST)

Monday Morning

Chat Noir landed on the roof of the school without a sound, eyes darting around the perimeter to verify that no one was present at this hour. Upon seeing that the coast was clear, he slinked towards the door that led inside the building.

He tried the doorknob. Locked, as expected. He detransformed, and without a word, Plagg phased through the door. It clicked, then Adrien slipped inside.

Heart thumping, he shifted his backpack and continued down the rooftop stairwell until he reached a hallway. It was empty, although that didn’t do much for his nerves. Getting caught on campus before the school opened would mean getting asked questions he would rather not have to answer.

Adrien wasn’t a rule-breaker. He was courteous, mild-mannered, and above all, obedient. He did things by the book. Or, at least... he did as Adrien . Chat Noir was another story altogether.

Trying to shake off his jitters, Adrien took a deep breath and tried to summon the playful part of him that enjoyed more mischievous types of activities.

There wasn’t much for him to do for the next couple of hours but to wait until people slowly trickled into the school. He decided to occupy himself by organizing his locker, so he stepped out into the common area from the dark hallway and carefully crept to the locker rooms downstairs.

As it turned out, it was a good thing he checked it before anyone was around, for the loud gasp he let out as he discovered its contents would have surely attracted the attention of the entire room.

Inside the locker was a duffel bag full of belongings– his belongings: his passport and birth certificate, his wallet, some clothes, his favorite blue scarf, a photograph of his mother; school supplies and stationary, a brand new laptop, and an indistinct burner phone.

There was no written note, no card, no name left behind. The only identifier provided was a picture of an black and red butterfly on it.

A butterfly? Surely this couldn’t be a gift from Gabriel Agreste. He’d never be this thoughtful, not in a million years.

He studied the picture, flipping it over for more clues, and found some small text on the back.

“Scarlet Peacock Butterfly”, the caption said. “A vivid red and black butterfly that ostensibly poses as another toxic species in order to deceive predators.”

Adrien gasped.

A fake.

Could it be…?

Adrien’s fingers trembled as he picked up the phone. It was an older model flip phone. He opened it.

It had a single phone number saved in its contacts.

He selected the number, fingertip hovering over the “call” button. With a shaky breath, he pressed it. And waited.

A few agonizingly long seconds passed. Then the ringing stopped; someone had picked up.

Adrien’s breath hitched and he gulped. He couldn’t help the crack in his voice as he whispered hesitantly into the phone.

“...Nathalie?”

(Mood Music: “L’Indifference” - Café Accordion Orchestra)

For once, Marinette Dupain-Cheng managed to make it to school on time, having set her alarm for an earlier time just to make sure. Tardiness always seemed to be her calling card, but she was determined to not let this happen today; not after all her preparations from the night before.

And so she walked into her first class, happy to see a room full of (mostly) friendly faces. Alya smiled at her from her desk across the room, waving her over enthusiastically. Marinette returned the smile and headed towards her.

She gave a wide berth to Lila and their teacher, who stood by the door. The new teacher listened, enraptured, about the stylish Italian girl’s most recent trip to the Malagasy islands and how she single-handedly founded a lemur rescue organization. Marinette fought the urge to roll her eyes and quietly passed them by, without challenging the validity of her claims.

Not today, she told herself. Not on the first day of school.

On her way towards her best friend, Marinette also walked past Chloe Bourgeois, her former bully. They made eye contact and gave each other a brief nod.

“Chloe,” Marinette greeted her plainly.

“Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe acknowledged in return, then turned her full attention back to her phone, vigorously texting someone with a dragon profile picture.

Marinette couldn’t quite call Chloe her friend, though they were definitely more than just acquaintances. They’d come to a sort of unspoken truce a couple of years back. They’d both done some growing up these past few years, and for that, Marinette was grateful. Especially since this arrangement made it possible for them to remain mutual friends with Adrien.

Marinette went up the steps to where her best friend sat, and they greeted each other with a hug.

“Hey, Alya! No Nino?”

“Nah, looks like we only have three classes together this year, bummer.” Alya shrugged. “But that means I get to sit next to my Mari-bean!”

Marinette noticed a markedly cheery-looking Adrien entering the classroom, only to be stopped by Lila at the door, who flipped her hair theatrically and batted her exaggeratedly long (and most likely false, hmmph!) eyelashes at him.

She decided to ignore it and turned around to fully face her wavy-haired friend. “So, how was your weekend? Did you and your aforementioned husbando do anything fun?” she asked with a knowing smile.

Alya’s cheeks darkened, but she tried to cover up her blushing by pretending to adjust her hair. “Well, we did get ahold of the new Super Pinguino III. You’ll have to play it sometime and try to beat our high score.”

Marinette giggled. “I dunno, that might be the one game where I’ll never be able to beat you.”

“Well, we’ll just have to see about that,” she gave her a wide smile in return. She exclaimed (rather loudly even by her standards), “By the way, Marinette! Your outfit looks AMAZING! Don’t you think so too, Adrien?”

Marinette’s eyes widened and she whipped around to realize Adrien was headed their way. Her face felt like she was sticking it inside a furnace, and suddenly she felt quite naked, wanting nothing more than to hide in a dark corner somewhere rather than display the outfit she’d meticulously chosen the night before. What if it was too much? What if she was overdressed? What if everyone could tell she was trying too hard? What if it was way too last-season and not avant-garde enough? Or what if it was too avant-garde and she should have dressed more conservatively?! What if–

Adrien’s eyes met hers and he gave her the brightest, broadest, most radiant smile, so stunning it should be illegal, so resplendent that it caused her brain to suddenly fizzle.

“Absolutely! You look beautiful, Marinette,” he said, his voice so earnest and sincere that Marinette felt she might combust on the spot.

Marinette wasn’t sure how long she’d been standing there, mouth agape, feeling like her feet were no longer touching the ground, when Alya nudged her with her elbow, coaxing her to reply.

And reply she did. Or at least, she tried; for only for a brief noise somewhere between a croak and a squeak managed to emerge from her throat.

“Uhh, I think Marinette means ‘Thank you,” Alya replied helpfully.

Marinette nodded enthusiastically. “Y-YES!! That’s right!! Th-thank you, Adrien!” she stammered, forcing the air out of her lungs.

Adrien beamed at her. “It’s great to see you guys again. I’m really glad we have our first class together this year. It’ll be a great way to start off the day.”

He waved goodbye to them, then walked to sit at the empty seat next to Chloe, who greeted him with a loud, happy squeal and friendly cheek kisses, then proceeded to talk rapidly about a subject way too complex for Marinette’s current brain-dead state of gleeful stupefaction.

And most definitely too dumbstruck to notice the daggers Lila was glaring at her from across the room.

(Mood Music: “Closer Than Sisters” - Abel Korzeniowski )

Marinette’s mind managed to rejoin her body sometime around halfway through their first period, and the remainder of her classes went by without a hitch. There was a lot of chatter and gossiping about Ladybug and Chat Noir, and whether they were actually working together or if it was some sort of elaborate publicity stunt. Conspiracy theories abounded, but for the most part it was merely curious conjecture. Ladybug had always worked alone, so what would this mean for the city? Would she finally defeat Hawkmoth now that she was no longer outnumbered?

Alya, of course, was utterly buzzing with excitement about these recent developments. Marinette wasn’t quite sure she’d be able to stand all her wild speculations and hypothetical questions; so it was both a shame and a relief that they only had two classes together this school year.

Despite the mental toll that hearing all these conjectures took on her, Marinette was still in high spirits by her last class of the day.

Or so she’d thought, until her absolute favorite classmate made her way over to her desk, giving her a sickly saccharine smile that would put high fructose corn syrup to shame.

“Hi, Marinette,” she lilted in a hollow sing-song voice.

Marinette brought out her phone and pretended to look busy. “Hello, Lila.”

“Did you have a nice summer?” Lila asked.

As if you care, she thought. “It was peachy,” Marinette replied curtly.

Lila pouted. “You don’t sound too happy. I don’t suppose you’ve already heard?”

Marinette sighed. Might as well play along. “Heard what, Lila?”

Lila leaned into her personal space, which made unpleasant goosebumps rise on the back of Marinette’s neck. “Well, I don't suppose you and Adrien are close enough friends that he’s told you all about his secret girlfriend, right?” she said more quietly.

Marinette’s brain screeched to a halt, but she forced herself to keep typing into her phone. “And I suppose he's told you?”

Lila giggled coyly. “Oh, well, I’m not one to blab secrets around, but the poor dear’s just not very good at hiding those hickeys. A scarf and concealer can only do so much, you know.”

Marinette felt sick to her stomach, but she refused to indulge Lila into thinking that she actually believed her.

“Go away, Lila,” she hissed through gritted teeth.

“Don’t believe me? I can prove it-” she replied, with that false cheerfulness that always carried a secret smugness to it. “-as soon as he walks through the door. He’s told me his schedule, you know… We really are very good friends, he and I.” She lifted her head to look around. “Ah, there he is.”

Adrien walked into the classroom with Kim, joking and laughing together.

Lila waved them over, and Adrien smiled as they both walked towards them.

“Adrien, I was just talking to Marinette about our plans for the school year. What does your modeling schedule look like?” she asked, as she thumbed the fabric of his scarf. “This is the year before we graduate. Is your father going to ease up on the photo shoots? I do so remember how very busy you were last year,” she lamented with another fake pout.

Adrien replied, his voice harboring a tinge of nervousness as she ran her hands up and down the length of his scarf, “Uh, actually, I won’t be- uh, modeling. This year. To… prepare for university exams and whatnot.”

“No modeling gigs, you say? That’s awfully kind of him,” she replied sweetly, as she slowly pulled back and forth on the two sides of the scarf like a seesaw. “Letting you focus on your studies and whatnot.”

Before he could reply, Lila tripped sideways with a dainty yelp, yanking the scarf along with her, and she fell towards him. Adrien caught her and she wrapped her arms around his neck securely, the scarf falling onto the ground, forgotten by all.

All except for Marinette, of course.

“Lila, are you alright?” Kim cried, and Adrien weakly echoed the question.

“Oh… clumsy me… I’m still getting used to these new shoes. I haven’t quite broken them in yet, you see,” she remarked as he helped her up. “I mostly wore combat boots over the summer while helping build schools in Bali for impoverished children, so I guess you could say I’ve gotten out of the habit of wearing heels.”

Marinette got out of her seat to retrieve the fallen blue scarf. The scarf that she had made for him almost four years ago for his birthday. Lila’s tugging had rubbed the fabric against Adrien’s neck, and the center was stained with make-up the same tone as his skin. She gulped heavily, then looked up at him.

And there they were, peppered all over his neck: various small bruises below the sides of his jawline, barely noticeable, but still visible if you looked closely.

“Umm, here,” Marinette said numbly as she handed him back the scarf. His hesitant eyes met hers, and he looked guilty, as if all his secrets had been laid bare for her to see.

“Thank you,” he said, almost too soft for her to hear.

“Why, Adrien!” Lila said, feigning secrecy but still speaking louder than she should have been, had that been the case. “I know you said you didn’t have to model anymore, but you really ought to tell your girlfriend to take it easy when you guys make out.”

Adrien sounded genuinely puzzled. “Wait… Girlfriend? What are you talking about?”

Kim’s features scrunched up in confusion. His eyes traveled towards where Lila was looking, then his face lit up with excitement. “Dude, you got a girlfriend?? That’s amazing, congrats! When were you gonna tell us??”

“Huh? I don’t have–” Adrien tried to interject.

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry Adrien,” Lila pretended to realize she’d said too much. “I didn’t know you wanted to keep it a secret. How silly of me! Surely your father would take away your extra free time if he knew you were spending it with a girl instead of studying.”

Kim pumped his arms excitedly. “Don’t worry, bro! We can totally keep a secret! Right, Marinette?”

Marinette smiled weakly, trying her best to look cooperative, and nodded.

“So, tell us about her, Adrien! Tell us about this girl you love so much,” Lila prodded.

Adrien’s cheeks turned bright red. “W-well, she’s not actually my girlfriend, b-but–”

Kim waggled his eyebrows. “But does she want to be?” he asked playfully.

Adrien laughed, voice high and skittish, “Uhh, I-I don’t know… Umm– w-we’ll see what happens. I-I want to take things slow.”

“Do you like her?”

Adrien’s head whipped around. It was Marinette who’d asked the question, her voice soft and curious.

Her eyes searched his, sincerely seeking the knowledge she both yearned and dreaded to hear. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest, knowing that his answer could change everything.

And yet, she needed to know.

Adrien’s face softened, the corners of his mouth crinkling with the ghost of a smile, and his cheeks gained a more subdued shade of pink, which contrasted with the embarrassed shade of red he’d worn earlier.

“A lot,” he replied breathily, like a wistful sigh, like he’d rather be with his loved one than anywhere else in the world.

Marinette swallowed heavily, and she forced herself to smile. “I’m happy for you,” she said as earnestly as she could manage.

After all, Adrien’s happiness was always paramount. No matter the source.

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of the bell, and the group scattered into the surrounding seats. Lila gave Marinette one last self-satisfied smile before walking away; not that Marinette even noticed. Her body felt too numb, too limp, too weary to see or care. All she could see in her mind’s eye was the way Adrien’s eyes lit up when he talked about the person he cared for. It had been brief, but it had been enough. She’d seen it. She knew now.

Adrien Agreste was in love.

(Mood Music: “No One Knows Who I Am” - (Jekyll & Hyde, the musical) Frank Wildhorn)

The last period of the day went by more sluggishly than any other she’d ever experienced in her life. Marinette’s mind replayed that conversation a seemingly infinite amount of times by the time the bell rang and it was time to go home. She lethargically packed up her belongings and left the classroom.

Before she reached the locker room, however, a hand gently tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around.

It was Adrien. Of course. It just had to be him.

He meekly asked if he could talk to her in private. She agreed. They stepped into an emptied room, and he looked around to make sure no one else was present.

“I’m… sorry about the awkwardness from before, Mari,” he muttered uneasily.

“It’s okay, I’m just sorry you got put on the spot,” she replied, twisting her hands together, her shoulders tense with discomfort.

He seemed to squirm a bit himself as he continued, “D-did… Did you see…?” He gestured towards his scarf.

Marinette froze and her gaze dropped to the ground. She couldn’t get herself to speak, so she nodded.

Adrien took a deep breath. “W-would it be too much trouble if I asked you to not tell anyone? Things could get really difficult for me if- if people were to find out.”

Marinette’s head bobbed up and down quickly. “I-it’s okay! I won’t say anything! I-I don’t want to get you into trouble. Anytime you need help, I’ll be here.”

Before she knew it, she was being pulled into a brief hug. She willed her arms to hug him back, although she couldn’t really feel her body right now.

Adrien let go of her and put his hands on her shoulders in reassurance. “I promise everything is going to be okay. Everything is fine now. Trust me. Thank you, Marinette.”

Marinette’s mouth smiled back, and she heard her own voice say, “Anytime.”

Adrien thanked her again, and opened the door to leave. “See ya tomorrow.”

“S-see you,” she called back.

The door closed behind him, and Marinette was left alone. Everything felt like it was steeped in a thick haze. As if she was stranded in a vast fog with no discernable way to go. She felt hollow, yet heavy, which didn’t make a single bit of sense. A gaping, empty hole where her chest was, ripped away suddenly and without warning.

Is this... is this what heartbreak feels like?

Chat landed on Marinette’s balcony and knocked on the hatch five times, as they’d previously agreed. He listened for any of the code phrases or sounds that they’d gone over and practiced. There was no answer, which could only mean that she wasn’t home yet. However, since the latch was always unlocked for him now that they were roommates, he had permission to enter.

He felt pretty silly wearing a backpack as Chat Noir, so he didn’t dally in her bedroom, and instead went to drop it off in his own room.

Chat wondered what could be going through Marinette’s head after she saw his bruising. Had she figured out that Gabriel was abusive? She’d agreed to trust him, so maybe she believed he’d been able to work out his home situation. Did she think he still lived back at the mansion?

He plopped face down on the sofa. UGH, this all sucked. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he couldn’t tell her the truth, either. She was the nicest girl, and all he’d been doing lately was be dishonest with her. Not without reason, but still. He felt horrible about it.

And she’d looked so out of it at the end of school. He wondered what might have happened to her, since she’d seemed in such high spirits at the beginning of the school day. And what was that weirdness with Lila all about?

He didn’t have to wonder long, because a few moments later, his cat ears perked up as he heard footsteps that led to the front door. He sat up and turned around, excitedly awaiting her arrival.

Marinette opened the door and entered the living area. She closed the door and silently set her backpack down. He got up to greet her, but something was wrong. Her whole aura was different. Even in the dim late afternoon light, Chat could see the weariness in her expression, the sadness in her posture.

“Mari…?”

Several long strides later and he was there, in front of her, holding her by the arms.

“Mari, what happened?!” he asked more urgently. “Are you okay??”

She looked up at him, her glassy blue eyes becoming damp. Then she crashed into him, gripping him like he was the only thing keeping her from sinking into a sea of quicksand.

She cried, and he held her. He was desperate to know what had happened, but he waited, stroking her hair, running his fingers through it soothingly, not pushing her, but always willing to listen.

Finally, after a few moments, she spoke. “There’s someone else,” she whispered simply.

Then he understood.

Chat held her, and she sobbed quietly, and together they slumped to the ground. She didn’t need words of comfort, or any reassurance that she didn’t need this guy, or to be told that she was too good for him, or that there were other fish in the sea. She didn’t need to be told any of those things. All they needed at this moment was each other. And that was enough.

[beastars-takes]

Zootopia Takes: The Power of Really Liking Each Other

Our main event, Beastars Takes, will resume soon, but in the meantime I want to talk about one of my favorite movie relationships:

Has this been talked about to death by other people? Yes. But this is my blog and I write it for free so I can do what I want.

Note: this is not a shipping post--this is just an examination of their canonical relationship in the movie and why it rules.

At first glance, this is your typical enemies-to-friends story. I love those. But while the typical arc tends to involve two characters who can’t stand each other, who eventually develop a grudging respect for one another (often through some kind of shared ordeal) and maybe thaw into actual friendliness at the end. Zootopia packs all of that into the first half--by the midway point they are clearly not just allies, but friends, and by the end of the film they’re inseparable.

It’s important to recognize this isn’t just for the hell of it, or just to be cute--the closeness and trust they build is the linchpin of their success in the final moments of the movie.

All the reasons why, after the jump.

Something I talked about in the previous post was the messaging of Zootopia, and I don’t want to rehash it too much here. It’s a movie about prejudice, and the work it takes to overcome it. A key theme (one that it shares with Beastars, incidentally) is that friendships with those who are different from you are hard--but they are worth it.

Part 1: They Hate Each Other! (Right?)

Now...it goes without saying that when these two first meet, they bounce off each other hard. Each is seeing the other at their absolute worst.

Judy can’t stand Nick because he takes every bit of optimism she has about this world and throws it back in her face. She want to use him as a prop in her vision of an equal society, where “not all foxes” are crooks. He laughs at her. He humiliates her. All he has to do is walk away, but he takes his time. He twists the knife.

For his part, Nick sees a laughably ineffectual bunny who condescends to him and threatens him with jail for the crime of...humiliating her. She may not personally be a threat to him, but she wields the institutional power of the ZPD--a power he has plenty of reason to be afraid of--and she does it irresponsibly.

On first viewing, Nick inarguably wins this exchange. He avoids arrest, reads her to absolute filth and leaves her stuck in cement.

And he makes her really sad. Nice!

But, and I don’t pretend to be the first person to have pointed this out, on second viewing it’s obvious he can guess her story so well because it’s basically his story. The only difference, in his mind, is that he’s accepted the reality that he’ll never be allowed to live the life he wants, while she is still vainly pursuing hers.

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but the people I’ve met who have always most pissed me off are the people who remind me of things I hate about myself. The people who seem to embody the flaws I’ve worked to minimize. Nick’s naive hope is what has brought him the most pain in his life. He sees this bunny full of the same naive hope, surmises that she’s facing the same failures he did and yet stubbornly refusing to learn from them. It’s irritating.

Pictured: irritation.

Maybe I am projecting, but if Nick is anything like me, he probably didn’t walk away entirely happy from this exchange. Yes, he “won,” but he was also reminded of everything about himself that he least wanted to think about.

Part 2: They Are Not Very Good at Hating Each Other

So, the thing about Judy is, she is naive. By default, she assumes people are her friend. But she’s not stupid.

Nick assumes she is stupid, not least because she hasn’t wisely given up on her dreams like he has, and...he learns that she maybe not so fun to pick on after all.

So they wind up doing the first part of this enemies-to-friends routine, allies of necessity.

So, naturally, because he is Him, he makes it his mission to torment her.

In fact, we get two whole scenes where all he does he does is watch her struggle and make this face.

The first read of this behavior is that he’s just enjoying the failures of someone he hates. He says as much later. But I would also argue--from a viewer’s perspective--Judy is ridiculously entertaining and charming throughout these encounters. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and it’s hard not to like people like that.

Is there more happening here than just schadenfreude? I won’t pretend to know for sure. But worth considering.

By the time they’re investigating the limousine, his sabotage has diminished into something more like gentle trolling. And you can’t see this face, in context...

...and tell me she isn’t starting to like him, at least a little bit.

He’s also starting to help! By the time they’re past the minor detour of almost being murdered by a mob boss, he’s entirely cooperative, helping her conduct interviews and look for clues. The movie doesn’t call particular attention to this, but it almost did.

Finally, let’s look at Nick’s behavior when they’re being chased by a rabid jaguar. He could have absolutely booked it, with no regard for the cop who was blackmailing him into helping her.

These moments go by so quickly, but they’re hugely revealing of his true character, even before he defends her in front of Chief Bogo.

He picks her up when she falls.

More importantly, when he gets to the skytram, his first instinct isn’t to jump in--it’s to hold the door for her:

He sees she can’t make it, and she even tells him to leave without her. He doesn’t. He holds the door until he can’t anymore, and as a result he’s nearly killed.

Nick is a good boy.

Part 3: They Are Friends Now

She save his life, so he saves her job. This is a key story beat, and it’s a Disney movie, so there’s not a lot of subtlety (except how the specular highlights in Judy’s eyes fade as Bogo asks for her badge--the light literally goes out of her. Go watch).

But it’s such a sweet moment of teamwork--he was contemptuous toward her from the start because she believed in herself. This is the first time she’s simply given up in the whole movie, and he steps up. Because he believes in her now.

And she believes in him! Or, she wants to.

Judy’s supportiveness here is sweet, but it’s also still a little selfish. It’s not that different from their interaction at the ice cream shop, really: she wants to meet a fox who defies stereotypes, who is easy for her to like. Someone who ticks all the boxes to prove her family wrong.

When he starts being more foxy, later--self-identifying as a predator, showing his claws, challenging her--we learn that her supportiveness is conditional.

Am I being too hard on her? Sure. She’s been in bunny country her whole life. She’s new to this and she’s trying. But that’s where she’s at.

But still! They’re friends now. They’re no longer pretending they don’t like each other. Judy’s openly encouraging, Nick is fully in her corner, and we get a few cute sequences where they keep being more and more impressed with each other.

He’s still not above affectionately messing with her, and she’s getting worse at pretending to dislike it.

And he trusts her enough to let her flush him down a toilet...

Which gives us this heartbreaking shot where he thinks she’s drowned. He cares a whole lot about this bunny.

She likes him too! Enough to want to team up on a more permanent basis. This is pretty standard-fare enemies-to-friends stuff now, but considering where we started, and considering they’ve known each other for all of two days? Not bad!

It’s clear this moment means far more to him than it does to her, too. It’s actually taken very little persuading from Judy to get him to step up and be brave and helpful and trustworthy. The fact that he’s turned around and opened up to her so fast suggests he’s been ready for an opportunity like this for his entire life, and never got it. I mean, look at his face.

The foundational flaw in her worldview is still there, though, and it’s about to do almost-irreparable damage to their whirlwind friendship.

Part 5: Fuck!

So Judy gives her press conference, and gives a great example of why police usually answer every question with “the matter is currently under investigation,” or “we’re not prepared to comment further at this time.” Honestly, though, this is on Bogo--I had coworkers who once did some press interviews, and they spent over a week doing media training. They didn’t even break a major kidnapping case. So, you know.

So she repeats some weird race science stuff she assumes is true because someone in a lab coat said it, which is amusingly similar to how race science (or “race realism”) often propagates--people with low-rent doctorates from crappy universities write a bunch of scientifically shoddy material and people say “well, he has a PhD!”

And then Nick has a PTSD flashback? I don’t want to be irresponsible and make an armchair diagnosis, but also...that is absolutely what is depicted on screen.

You’re not immediately “better” after something like this, which is why I cut Nick a bit of slack when he basically blows up their friendship.

Judy...doesn’t get it. It’s completely heartbreaking, because she likes him, and doesn’t understand why he’s mad, and isn’t self-reflective enough to stop and think maybe he has a point. Not until it’s too late. He tests her, and she fails.

Their friendship has always been a little inequal. He’s trusted her with everything, shown her his deepest vulnerabilities. She’s never trusted him completely.

So he leaves.

I don’t want to impugn her professionalism by suggesting she wouldn’t have quit the force if she hadn’t had that friendship-ending fight, but, you know. Maybe.

This is the second time she gives up, and this time he’s not there to pick her up again.

Judy is intensely goal-oriented, and I don’t think she realized what Nick’s friendship meant to her, as the first person in the city who truly believed in her, until it was too late. Judy is sweet and well-meaning but emotional intelligence is not really her strong suit (which is actually cool to see in a female Disney protagonist, imo).

So, while it would have been nice for her to track Nick down immediately and apologize, I think it makes sense for them to spend time apart. Her own self-perception has been shattered, and she needs time to figure out how she went so wrong.

So when she does come back, she delivers one of the best animated apologies I’ve ever seen. Only AtLA compares, in my mind.

Part 6: They Are Much Better Friends Now

Nick forgives her, because of course he does.

(Sidebar--people talk about how he kept her carrot pen the whole time they were apart. He also kept his handkerchief from Ranger Scouts, AND he only wears shirts that match the wallpaper in his mother’s house. He desperately needs a hug.)

Credit to Nick also, who can’t fight and has no police training whatsoever, who has multiple times been almost killed helping her out, now agreeing to help her out again. She’s not even threatening him with jail this time!

We, the viewers, are then rewarded with this great montage of them being best friends.

She’s finally stopped pretending not to be amused by his shenanigans.

(One other sidebar here--Nick is canonically a really gentle character. For all their adventuring, this is only time in the movie he gets physical with anyone: to protect the bunny. Again, he definitely can’t fight and immediately gets smacked across the room. But it’s the thought that counts, right?)

Per the post title, more visual evidence of them really liking each other.

Judy trips on a dead body, and here we get the second time in the movie that Judy tells Nick to leave without her, and he won’t--this time, he refuses explicitly.

Which then gives us the opportunity for the big moment--the culmination of all this care and intimacy and trust.

In order to con Bellwether, she lets him stalk her, and bite her throat. This has been often pointed out, but it’s important--throughout the movie, Judy’s wriggling rabbit nose has been used as a signifier of fear and suspicion. It wriggles when she’s spying on Nick at the beginning. It wriggles like hell when he confronts her after her press conference.

Not here. Doesn’t move. It’s a great, clearly intentional animation choice that tells a close observer (or more likely, a repeat viewer) that she’s completely unafraid.

She trusts him.

I could write a whole other post about how well-scripted this movie is, how every scene is doing half a dozen different things, but the way the personal and the professional come together here, the way the threads of prejudice and friendship and the police case all tie together in this moment. It’s good shit.

This is basically where things end, in terms of character development, but we get a bunch more shots of them clearly adoring each other:

So there it is.

To sum up, certainly not suggesting this movie invented “characters liking each other,” or anything like that. But it goes above and beyond in portraying a friendship that’s not just one born of circumstance, one that’s authentic and unmistakably loving. Characters who enjoy spending time with each other, regardless of what’s going on around them.

I hope everyone is able to experience friendships like that. I absolutely treasure the few I have.

Appendix: The Shipping Thing

I hope I’ve made all this ship-agnostic, which was my intention. I personally like the ship, and I think the reason it resonates with people is because that love and trust and closeness is clearly there, and a romantic relationship creates a lot more easy opportunities for dialing those things up even higher.

I would also argue, if pressed, that the amount of teasing and physicality that happens reads as pretty flirty. If they were humans I knew in real life, I’d definitely think there was something going on there. But I’m an American, where touching and emotional intimacy tends to be read as romantic. Also, animals are a lot more cuddly than humans. So who knows? I think it’s perfectly reasonable to read them as platonic friends until the end of time.

But, one way or another, they love each other a lot. Shout out to this, one of the most emotionally rewarding relationships I’ve ever seen in a cartoon.

[kuroppiii]

sugawara taking you to an amusement park? hc or oneshot maybe

    100 miles per hour ᵕ̈          sugawara kōshi x gn reader ˎˊ˗

⋮⋮ ˒ ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎ 𖥻 ⿻ : every moment with kōshi  ⋮⋮  makes your heart go 100 miles per hour .

📋 content        ♡ # 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧 🐮        ♡ # 𝘧𝘪𝘤 🥛        ♡ # 𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱         ♡ # 4.8𝘬 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴

🧸 directory  ‹ ✩  like what you read ? check out more of my blog !  •ᴗ•

💬 kuroppiii ─ “ i decided to write it as a oneshot ! ah hah hah this took a while but we ’re not going to talk about that .. ”

    kōshi glanced down to where your hands were interlocked. bright orange bands were wrapped around your wrists and the sight of them shot excitement through his system. ever since you two planned to have an entire day enjoying fun rides together, he was looking forward to it nonstop. walking to and from school, passing trains morphed into rollercoasters and the distant sound of neighborhood children playing around turned into the joyful noises of a carousel. after all the days of waiting, he almost couldn’t believe it was finally the day.

    suddenly he was strongly tugged forward, which snapped him out of reminiscing and forced him to quickly regain his balance. he refocused his gaze from the wristbands up to where you were in front of him. in the current moment there were no textbooks, no exams, no classmates–just each other. your own excitement was almost surging off of you and it enticed him to blindly follow your lead. he was only able to see the back of your head as you led him through the crowds of the park, but he could clearly picture the cute smile that was definitely on your face–the smile he was absolutely head-over-heels for.

    “ah!” he panics, suddenly realizing the direction you two were going in was the wrong one, “w-wait! y/n, the ferris wheel is this way–”

    kōshi can’t help but laugh at your eagerness and he points in the opposite direction behind him. the sound of his laugh immediately makes you stop and you turn around, slightly confused. kōshi’s laugh was almost like a spell that never failed to put you under a trance. it’s addictive, it’s lovely, and it’s contagious. you end up finding yourself joining him, laughing at your small mistake too. it’s so strange, you think in the back of your mind, the effect he has over you.

    but then without a moment’s waste you start running in the new direction, bringing you along behind him, of course. you can see it in the distance, the big wheel with its colorful seats against the blue sky, and your anticipation is barely even containable. kōshi understands your persistence, he feels it too, but of course his responsible side jumps out after you almost ran right into a stranger. 

    once you quickly apologize to the individual and they leave insisting ‘it’s alright’, you feel a pull at your hand. before you know it, your back hits against kōshi’s chest. you feel his arms wrap around you and heat starts rising to your face. your first instinct is to check if the crowds of people passing by are staring at the two of you, but when they continue moving along to their own amusement park whereabouts, you realize you’re alone on this one. You look up at kōshi and... he’s giggling.

    “kōshi! What are you doing? The line might get too long!” you complain. you make up your concern about the line to hide the fact he’s still making you flustered, even after the many months you have been dating. before your face can grow too pink, you try twisting your way out of his arms but he only laughs more, hugging tighter.

    “i know you’re excited sweetheart, but if you waste all your energy now you’ll end up falling asleep on me too soon. then it’ll just turn into a waste of our money, right?” he said.

    thinking about it, he had a point–but you can’t help but be excited! you haven’t been to this big of an amusement park in a while, you two took time to plan for it, and (little did you know) similarly to kōshi, you haven’t been able to keep it off your mind since you planned it. but you also knew better, and that if you didn’t calm yourself down at least a little bit, kōshi had the patience to stand there with you in his arms and wait for you to ease up. so you stopped squirming with a sigh. you took a moment to breathe before smiling up at him once again.

    “are we going to be careful and not to run into other people now?”

    “...yes.”

    “okay, good!” he finally sets you free and he rejoins your hands together like they were before.

    you two made your way to the ferris wheel holding hands but this time walking side-by-side. he happily listened to you as you rambled on about all the things you were excited to do together throughout the rest of the day until you reached the ferris wheel line. thankfully, the line wasn’t long after all. as you approached the front of the line, kōshi slinged an arm around your shoulders.

    “i hope we get an orange seat,” he says beside you. you chuckle as his head is tilted back, admiring the grand scale of the ride standing in front of you.

    “how school spirited,” you tease. he turns his face to yours feigning offense, and his arm tightens around you.

    “of course!” he dramatically gasps, catching onto your playful tone.

    you both break out into giggles before he looks back at the turning wheel in anticipation. your eyes drift to the ground, a smile still remnant on your lips. what a dork, you think to yourself. but you can’t deny you love him for that silly side, or that it makes your heart race at the thought you’re special enough in his eyes to see that part of him as often as you did. just thinking about it, you were worried he could hear the beating in your chest with it feeling so loud, and with him being so close.

    “green?” kōshi sighs now that you two are at the front of the line. the vibrant green seat waits in front of you, still swaying a little due to the wheel’s abrupt stop, “i’m starting to think i want my money back already.”

    you couldn’t help but scoff, “stop whining you big baby.”

    “your big baby?”

    “i don’t mind taking the next seat, kōshi.”

    “okay, okay!” he surrenders and you two share a laugh. he tugs you gently using the arm he has around you, and the simple gesture sets loose butterflies in your stomach. his laugh lingers in your mind as you two sit down and a worker slings the safety belt across your laps. as kōshi’s voice bounces around your brain, you truly can’t believe this boy just lives in your head rent free all the time. how unforgivable.

    the wheel starts to rotate again, periodically stopping to accommodate new passengers. once you two are both out of sight from the park-goers underneath you, kōshi slips his arm around your waist. he couldn’t help it, he always needs you close, almost like your touch is his lifeline. 

    you both look around in comfortable silence at the shops and rides and people slowly shrinking as your shared seat soars further up. your mind drifts to the conversation during the planning stage of this date, where it was agreed you both were going to take a round on the ferris wheel first, to evaluate which rides you wanted to spend the day on from a bird’s eye view.

    “but don’t dates usually end on the ferris wheel? so I can kiss you at the top and be all romantic like that?” you asked. you were only half-joking about the latter end of your remark.

    “exactly, but that’s why we should go while it’s still bright outside,” kōshi explained, “it won’t be very enjoyable if all the seats are filled with kissing couples. i wouldn’t even be able to see your pretty face in the dark, either!”

    “well aren’t you just such the smooth-talker, lover-boy?”

    when the memory ends, you look ahead to see you’re almost at the top of the wheel. you can almost see the whole park clearly, but the people in the seat in front of you are blocking the way.

    “do you see anything you want to go on yet?” kōshi asks you, and you can hear the screams from a nearby dropper ride as you face him.

    “not yet,” you huff, “i can’t see past the people in front of us... you know, i just realized we could’ve picked up a map at the entrance like normal people.”

    “i know...” he admits, “but I think this is cuter. it’s like going in blindly– it’s like a surprise, y/n! isn't that exciting?”

    you roll your eyes while he turns to look out on his side of the seat and points, “see, there’s this log flume ride I saw over there. do you think you’ll like that?”

    when he leans back to let you have a better view of the attraction, the seat starts to rock. Instinctively you grab onto him, “kōshi!”

    “a-ah, sorry sweetheart!” 

    he looks down at you, and you look up at him. your eyes look panicked, and, feeling a little bad, he runs a hand up and down your arm to try and soothe you, “did I scare you?–”

    Yes–

    “–are you alright?”

     No, you think, I am not “alright”, not when you’re looking at me like that, kōshi–

    “yeah. yeah, i’m... fine.”

     you lied. Because of course you can’t say what you just thought out loud. but it was only a little lie, you reason with yourself. you feel the seat jerk, and the sky is shifting behind kōshi. he breaks out of his concerned gaze as he points out, “hey, we’re reaching the top now!”

     redirecting your attention forward, the people in front of you move down. slowly, a panoramic view of the entire park is revealed to the both of you. a subtle gasp escaped your lips as you straightened in your seat to admire the picturesque sight. kōshi feels his heart swell at your adorableness as he admires the side of your amazed face. it’s only the beginning of your date yet he can see you’re already so happy, and that makes him happy. he doesn’t think when he leans in and kisses your smiling cheek. however, he doesn’t immediately pull back, he keeps his head in place. he begins to speak, and you let yourself lean into the hum of his voice.

    “like what you see? hm, cutie?” he asks, yet knowing the answer perfectly well solely by the look on your face. you can feel him smile wide against your skin when you excitedly nod your head. you feel like you’re going to have a heart attack.

    a flash of purple catches the your eye and you quickly tap kōshi’s shoulder, “oooh kōshi, look! can we go on that one?”

    “which one, sweetheart?” he lifts his head to try and spot what you were pointing at.

    “the rollercoaster with the double loop! can we, please?” you ask with pleading eyes.

    “of course we can!” he replies, bringing you closer to him on the seat happily.

     you spend the rest of the way down pointing at other roller coasters and attractions you could still catch glimpses of, all followed by “let’s go on that one”’s and “that looks fun”’s. not until you were off the ferris wheel and heading towards the purple roller coaster you first agreed on riding, did you realize:

    “wait– kōshi! you stole my move!” you gasp, “you planned that, didn’t you?”

     still holding onto your hand, kōshi gives you a puzzled look, “...what move?”

    “kissing at the top of the ferris wheel!”

     after realizing you were right, he just laughs before tugging your sulky self along to the next ride.

،   そ   ✧   の後    🌱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 ... 

    “that was awesome! i felt like I was going to faint!” you gush while you and kōshi stumble out onto the amusement park path.

    “i think that was my favorite, and that’s only been the first one we’ve been on!” he says in agreement. while he lists his favorite parts of the ride, your eyes drift up to notice how messily his grey hair is sticking up in all sorts of directions.

   you giggle, “kōshi, your hair!”

    “my hair?” he asks back, self-consciously trying to press the mess down. he doesn’t have a mirror to go by so he ends up missing all the messy spots of interest. you shake your head as your hands reach up to smooth out the soft strands yourself. but to your surprise, he then reaches out to do the same thing to you.

    “did you think yours isn't any worse?” 

    you both giggle like children as you get each other’s hair under control. you take notice to how intensely your heart was beating by the time you both pull away and kōshi grips your hand in his. 

    “let’s go on another one!” he quickly says.

     you jump a little where you stand, “you know it!”

    as kōshi leads you to a blue roller coaster nearby, you feel like fainting all over again.

،   そ   ✧   の後    🌱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 ... 

     after four roller coasters, two rounds on a dropper, and feeling damp from a run-through of the log flume, both you and kōshi were starting to feel hungry. you bring this up to kōshi and checking the time, he’s shocked he was so late to getting you two lunch.

    “it’s okay, kōshi, really! i was having so much fun with you, i didn’t even notice. plus, we’re here getting food, that’s all that matters to me right now!” you insisted while you stood in the line for fries.

    “but I can’t believe i almost starved my baby!” he hugged you and apologetically placed a kiss on your forehead, “i’m sorry, please forgive me–”

    once again, you worry that people will notice you two being affectionate. but then you are reminded that everyone’s still occupied with their own amusement park whereabouts, giving you no excuse to try and escape kōshi’s cute antics.

   you sigh, “i’ve already forgiven you three times while in this line alone, kōshi–”

    eventually, you each retrieved your sodas and fries, picking up bags of fluffy blue and pink cotton candy a few stalls down. kōshi takes it upon himself to hold both of the bags while you still finish your fries and drinks. as you walk and eat you look around and notice how it’s getting darker. you feel a bit sad as it dawns on you that you and kōshi’s date was coming to an end. you can’t help but wonder if you could’ve done more, or if you could’ve tried out other attractions. did kōshi enjoy it as much as you did? did the date meet up to his expectations?–

   you hadn’t even noticed you spaced off until you’re snapped out of it by a french fry poking at the side of your mouth.

    “k-kōshi? What are you doing?” you question, jerking back to shift your gaze back and forth between your boyfriend’s face and the fry he had extended out to you.

    “you looked a bit out of it, and you weren’t eating your fries so... i wanted to feed you! i cannot have my baby starving!” he firmly vows. on the outside, you pretend you can’t take his lovey-dovey remark. on the inside, you’re questioning what you must’ve done in your past life to be able to score such a sweet boy in this one. he goes to move the fry again and this time you accept it. it’s the same exact kind of fries you had in your own cup, but it just felt better knowing it was shared from kōshi. you are so very whipped, you concluded, feeling a blush creep onto your face much to your dismay.

    you reach into your own cup and grab a fry, bringing it up in front of his face. he’s taken aback for a moment, not expecting you to return the favor, but soon enough he accepts your fry as well. the edges of his eyes crinkle as he smiles while he chews. curse you kōshi, for being so cute, you think.

    discarding the empty cups when passing by a trashcan, kōshi hands you your bag of cotton candy and you both excitedly rip your bags at the same time. plucking a tuft of the spun sugar in your fingertips, you place it on your tongue and feel it sweetly dissolve. this action repeats until there is no longer any cotton candy, and the bag clings to your hands as you try and shake it off into a trash can.

    “my hands are sticky,” you mumble to yourself. 

    “well then here’s a wipe,” kōshi imitates your whining with a chuckle, pulling out two packet from his pants pocket–one for you and one for himself. 

   lightly glaring at his imitation of you, you stubbornly accept the wipe, “why do you have to be so prepared all the time?”

    kōshi only smiles down at you as he uses his wipe, watching you rubbing away the melted sugar on your hands with a cute pout on your lips in concentration. the sight tugged a fond smile at the edges of his mouth and he can’t stop himself from bending down and touching your lips with his.

    your body froze at the sudden action, but soon you relaxed into his warmth. it was a simple way he had always shown his affection to you, but it can’t seem to ever get old. he held the kiss there for a while longer, before finally pulling away. feeling the absence of touch on your lips, you find yourself slightly leaning forward as he leans back, chasing after him. you eventually need to shake yourself out of your own daze to playfully nudge at kōshi’s side.

   “what was that for?” you softly tease, still clutching your used wipe even though there was trashcan right beside you. it was the only thing grounding you and keeping you from freaking out.

    “you looked too cute, i couldn’t help it–” he stops to lick at his lips, “–and you taste sweet, by the way.”

   “WELL OF COURSE I DO, WE JUST GOT FINISHED EATING–”

    kōshi bursts out laughing and half-heartedly tries to shush you from making too big of a scene among the other park-goers. like always, he manages to calm you down, but that doesn’t mean your face is any less flushed. with the wipes now discarded your hands meet each other like a natural instinct and you start to absent-mindedly stroll around the park.

   “are you still in the mood for a ride?” kōshi asks you.

   “yeah,” you nod, “what did you have in mind?”

    it seems he hadn’t thought it through that far yet because you see him glancing around the area now that you’ve asked. currently, you were both in the children’s area, filled with small and easy-going attractions. kōshi stifles a laugh beside you.

   “how do you feel about the spinning teacups ride over there?”

    you scoff, “we just ate, are you trying to get me to throw up?”

    this time he actually laughs, “am not! hmm... well, what about bumper c–”

   “don’t even finish that question, sugawara,” you cut him short, jokingly using his last name, “you really want to see me ruin this lovely date we’re on, don’t you?”

   “fine, then pick out something you like, sweetheart. anything is fine with me!”

    He pulls you closer to his side by your waist as you continue to walk and leaves loving kisses on the top of your head while he waits for you to spot a ride that peaks your interest.

   “you suddenly can’t get all sappy on me like this after you just tried to sabotage our date!” you complain through giggles, trying to push him away but only resulting in him hugging you closer to him. in the process, your eyes lay on a nearby blur of colors and flashing lights. you take a moment to pause your attempts of fighting back so your eyes can adjust. they focus in and you’re met with a carousel. kōshi is still in the process of trying to smother you, but you can clearly see and hear the happy children that disappear and re-appear to the cutesy jingle emitting from the ride while the horses rotate around the circular platform.

   “kōshi, let’s go on that.” he immediately stops and glances over his shoulder to where you were staring.

   “the carousel?” he asks and you nod excitedly. he smiles, recalling how often he was thinking about the exact same ride before your date, “you’re too cute.”

  “yeah, yeah– c’mon, let’s get in line!” you wave off his cheesy remark before dragging him to the ride’s outer gates.

   after not too long of a wait, the worker checks your orange wristbands at the front of the line and you’re let in.

  “do you want a seat, or a horse?” kōshi asks as you walk along the platform. 

  “is that even a question? let’s get horses!” you say. kōshi happily obliges and follows you onto the platform once you find a horse you like. 

    he steps onto the platform first, extending a hand out to help you up with him. taking his hand, you felt similar to the dozens of little kids around you doing the same with their parents or guardians. it was a silly situation you two were in, third year high schoolers taking a round on a carousel meant for children. but as kōshi holds onto your sides and guides you onto the fake horse before getting on the other next to you, it doesn’t seem to matter at all.

    “my horse is cooler than yours,” you tease, pretending to pet it’s fake blue mane.

    kōshi laughs, “hey! that’s no way to thank the person who helped you onto it in the first place, is it?”

    “not when mine is exceptionally better than yours. it’s even got a cute little tiara! you can’t tell me that’s not cool, kōshi.”

    “yeah? well mine has golden reigns. it doesn’t need to be ‘cool’ when it’s classy–” kōshi is interrupted by the ride’s buzzer suddenly blaring. you both stopped your little argument when you felt the gears of the ride shift, and the area around you began moving slowly. the chime you heard earlier was more detailed, and the lights were brighter now that they were right in front of your eyes. 

  you looked beside you to see kōshi. the different colors danced over him, and the lights reflected in his eyes and made them twinkle. his hair was lightly being pushed back by the rushing wind passing by you on the ride. your horses feigned “galloping” as they were risen up and down, but you found your gaze following kōshi’s face whether you had to tilt your head up and down. you couldn’t keep your eyes off of him. he was stunning.

  his hand comes off of the pole that connected his horse with the carousel’s gears overhead. eyes glancing somewhere in front of the two of you, his hand waves. you already knew it was some kid in front of you, kōshi always loved kids. it was one of the reasons you felt so soft for him.

  he suddenly turns to look at you, catching you staring. it feels like your heart is about to shut down. you can see his pretty eyes widen in surprise for a short second, before he flashes you a smile, because words aren’t needed in the moment. they say eye’s can say a thousand words, so does that mean he was able to read the words in yours? ones of adoration, of love.

  “i think i might love him a little too much,” you think to yourself. but before you can realize you had said that thought out loud, in a voice barely audible for kōshi to catch onto, he raises a brow.

  “‘him’? y/n, who’s this ‘him’?” he asks with a nervous chuckle. his question is lighthearted but you can hear its undertone of concern, which pulls at your heartstrings.

  “it’s you! i– um–” you felt your body warm up, stammering over your words like a little kid, like the ones who were enjoying the ride around you. dear god this boy is making you malfunction. “i was just thinking... about you– i didn’t mean– did I say that–?”

  kōshi laughs, cutting you off of your worried rambling, “you did, out loud. but, i’m glad you weren’t talking about someone else! i was almost worried for a second there, y/n!”

  a bashful and lopsided smile is all you can muster as you feel the ride slow down to a gradual stop. you can hear the buzzer, signaling it was safe to leave the carousel for the next group of people in line. you sigh and suddenly you can breathe again, slumping down slightly to catch your breath and calm down your heartbeat.

 then you feel two hands lightly grip your sides and discover kōshi is trying to help you off the fake horse. the simple gesture steals your breath away yet again.

،   そ   ✧   の後    🌱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 ... 

    the amusement park is much darker now. to compensate, every ride sparkled with flashy lights, inviting visitors in even if some of them were tired at the current hour. cutesy lampposts actually served their function, even when during the daytime they come off as nothing but environmental pieces. there’s a breeze coming in through the pathways that tickles at your exposed skin.

    kōshi’s hand, however, seems to warm up your entire body from simply just holding your hand. he swings it gently between the two of you while the amusement park’s exit is waiting for you... wherever it is. thanks to the lack of the amusement park’s map, you’ve been aimlessly looking for the exit for a while.

    you weren’t completely complaining, since this just meant your little date would be extended a tad bit longer, and kōshi was still by your side, which is something you’d never complain about. admittedly, your steps did feel heavier as you went on, following by kōshi’s lead (which was a total reverse of how your date had begun). it became more and more difficult to keep your eyelids open and to keep up with him. 

    “another dead end, huh?” kōshi muttered under his breath. when he looks back at you, you can make out his knitted brows in the dim lighting of a nearby restroom. this is before your eyes involuntarily start fluttering in an effort to stay awake, that is. noticing this, kōshi takes a step closer to you and cups your cheek with an apologetic look.

    “tired?” he asks you. when you can barely nod your head as an answer, he steps in front of you and ducks down, “go ahead, hop on sweetheart.”

    you hesitate for a moment, a voice somehow still conscious in the back of your mind worrying that by continuing you might tire out kōshi even more from carrying you around. but before you can mingle together a string of words to protest, you catch a glimpse of kōshi’s face. it’s so comforting–inviting, even.

    sighing, you give in and climb onto his back. you wrap your arms around him loosely and you rest your head on his shoulder. his arms automatically hook under your legs and he straightens, feeling you relaxing against him. the warmth you two give each other makes your hearts flutter and you’re thankful what was missing before in the chilly night has been found.

    soon, kōshi starts walking again, seemingly carrying you with ease as he hums an innocent tune. in this moment you remember how dedicated he is to karasuno’s volleyball club, and you start to take notice of his athletic physique against you. you can feel yourself start to blush through the haze of your fatigue. 

    were kōshi’s back muscles always this firm? is he using a different cologne? did he always smell this good? why is your boyfriend so perfect? how dare he look and smell and treat you so perfect?

    these thoughts were interrupted by a soft yawn that escaped you, and you find yourself nuzzling your face into kōshi’s neck. you hope this conveys how grateful you are for him after your sudden realizations since words that are promising enough to be spoken aren’t willing to formulate in your brain, even if he wasn’t aware you were currently thinking these things in the first place.

    kōshi turns his head and places a kiss again your temple while your eyes finally remain closed. he glances down, seeing your orange wristbands were now scrunched up, and the brightness of their pigment had been rubbed off, leaving patchy white blotches that passing lampposts painted to be a calm yellow.

   “i love you, y/n.”

   and finally, for the first time that day, your heart remained calm at the love kōshi gave you, beating steadily as your breathing evened out and you were lulled to sleep by his voice alone.

[janellion]

Boyband!fukurodani hcs p l e a s e 👁👁HI KAYLA I LOVE U SO MUCHOO

HI LIZZIE BB I LOVE U SM!! I HOPE YOU ENJOY THESE! tysm for chatting w me & inspiring this idea 🥰✨

boyband!fukurodani hcs

ft. bokuto, akaashi, konoha, washio

general

their music is kind of punk/edgy but with the smoothness of pop mixed in

the vibes of greta van fleet x x (pic below) mixed with the smoothness of troye sivan x

they start out really small, practicing in konoha and washio’s dorm in college and totally pissing off their neighbors

after they graduate, they rent a house where they all live together and work on music and practice

they “sound proof” the garage of their new place, but it doesn’t help all that much

luckily, despite their more rough and tumble appearances, these boys are SO SWEET

they win over the neighborhood by mowing lawns and helping people with their groceries

they eventually have the entire neighborhood enjoying their music and will give weekly performances from their garage for anyone that wants to come

the neighborhood sets up lawn chairs and food in the street and it becomes a street festival of sorts

this is actually how they are discovered! their little free concerts become more and more popular and by word of mouth a producer wanders into one of the performances and is absolutely BLOWN AWAY

he signs them on the spot

from there, they get very popular very quickly

they already had a pretty substantial and supportive fan base from soundcloud and spotify, and their signing only helped to further propel them to success

their shows regularly sell out but they’re chaotic so they like to randomly pop up in venues where they sign up under a different name and give suprise shows

they are all very down to earth and always excited to interact with their fans

for interviews, bokuto and konoha take the lead and akaashi and washio will back up what they say and answer questions directed at them

they design all their own band t shirts and merchandise (akaashi studied graphic design)

the first album they release features their garage set-up on the cover as an homage to their roots

they still go back and do neighborhood shows for all their old friends and original supporters when they can

bokuto

the drummer

have you seen this mans arms? he’s made to be a drummer

his hair always starts out gelled up, but by the end of the night the sweat from the heat of the venue and the exertion of drumming for 2 hours has caught up w him and it starts to hang down into his eyes

always hyping the crowd up by banging his drumsticks together

he always signs them and throws them to the crowd at the end of their performances

loves to go crazy and improvise when given the opportunity

would interact more with the crowd if he could

sings backup, his voice is pretty low & the roughest of the band

is always fooling around at practices, but also always brings snacks so it sort of evens out

despite what most people think based on his casual and fun-loving attitude, he is very passionate about his music

helps akaashi with the lyrical part of the song writing process

manages social media for the band (at least until they get much bigger), most of the account is shitposting but also some good shots of the band and behind the scenes footage

generally does not sleep with/date fans (akaashi advises him against it & he trusts akaashi w his life)

akaashi

the lead singer

his voice is like troye sivan’s but deeper and rougher (hehe)

he wears black eyeliner for performances (will also paint his nails black on occasion)

easily the most popular band member in terms of fans

he is CONSTANTLY getting proposed to

if this man had a dollar for every bra that was thrown at him, he would be a millionaire

surprisingly quiet and understated for a lead singer

usually lets bokuto and konoha do most of the talking, especially for interviews

but when he sings? all eyes and ears are on him

something about his voice is so captivating, powerful but soft, smooth but rough

he closes his eyes a lot while he sings but when he opens them and looks out into the crowd, everyone SWEARS he’s looking right at them he’s just that powerful

does the album and merch designs

he and bokuto do most of the lyrical part of songwriting for the band

generally does not sleep with/date fans

konoha

lead guitar

is constantly making bedroom eyes at the crowd and they LOVE IT

is always running his fingers through his hair when he has a free hand and this makes the crowd go CRAZY

the one band member that will pull fans up onto the stage

also the most playful in terms of how he interacts with the crowd, and loves to walk up to the end of the stage and play on his knees for the fans in the front

will always toss his guitar picks into the crowd

he and bo have also been known to toss their shirts into the crowd on occasion

sings backup and has a very smooth voice

the band member that sleeps with groupies the most, the man PULLS

is the “execution” man in the band, deals with more of the business side of things

was responsible for setting up their contract and finding their manager, etc

is very serious about song writing, he and washio write the music that goes w akaashi and bo’s lyrics

washio

bassist 

this man is LAID BACK

but tbh that’s part of his appeal

he’s brooding and serious but anyone that talks to him or interviews the band knows that he is the sweetest and softest of the bunch

whenever there are disagreements within the band, washio is the voice of reason and reminds them that they’re a family and came together out of a love for music and each other YEAH they’re soft for each other it’s cute

will also sing backup but doesn’t do it as much

easily has the lowest singing voice of the group

genius song writer, will stay up all night in the tour bus working on writing music long after everyone else has gone to bed

always thanks the venue for having the band and is usually the one that people prefer speaking to about scheduling

along with akaashi, keeps the band practices on schedule and works on album artwork and merch designs

does not sleep with fans as a rule, but i’m sure someone will come along and prove to be the exception to it

☽

note: images from pinterest & google, if you know the source pls let me know so i can include it!!

a/n: my requests are OPEN. i’m slow but i will get to all of them!

general taglist (also my faves 🥰) : @oyakags @cosmictooru @over5feettall @kaidasen @achoohq @kuronekomama @anianimol @strawbirb @spriteandnicotine @megalodon-writes @makkihoe

writing taglist: @softkatsuki @stcrryskies @sugacookiies @yams046

((please let me know if you’d like to be on a taglist!)